The Heroines of Ferelden
by PinkRedRose
Summary: Five different women, five different origins, five different tragic backgrounds, all come together as one to save a cruel world that has cost them everything. Jade Mahariel,Valerie Cousland,Natasha Amell,Regina Surana,Zoë Tabris are no heroes of Ferelden. They are heroines of Ferelden. Jade/Tamlen, Valerie/Gilmore, Natasha/Cullen,Regina/Zev,Zoë/OC,Alistair/OC.
1. Prologue 1:Jade Mahariel

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.  
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.  
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.  
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.  
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.  
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.  
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.  
No one ever said elves are nice.  
Elves are bad."  
― Terry Pratchett, _Lords and Ladies_

**Prologue 1:Jade Mahariel**

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The sun shined high in the sky during the late morning hours with not a single cloud in the sky or even a small gust of wind. Save for the birds chirping and the sounds of the local wildlife throughout the forest, everything was completely quiet and peaceful. A lake was located near the center of the forest, fish occasionally leaping in and out of it. There was a small rustling in the grass behind the trees before someone came out from behind the cover of the forest brush. A young woman, clearly an elf, with raven-colored hair swirling down her shoulders and light blue eyes greatly resembling the sparkling lake water, slowly stepped in the sun's view and allowed a small smile to cross her lips. Slung over her shoulder was the elven woman's freshly-killed quarry.

Jade Mahariel let out a sigh of content as she took a seat in front of the lake, placing her dead quarry beside her and tucking her legs beneath her. It never mattered where their clan camped out; Jade had always been able to find a nice little spot to relax for awhile before returning from her hunt. The huntress yawned, stretching out her arms and legs. As one could expect, she was very tired from her hunt; that deer she'd chased had been able to run pretty fast and she spent almost an entire hour chasing the desperate animal until she managed to corner and kill it, both of them a more than just little worn out from the chase by then.

She felt grateful that no one else had seen her take so long to catch her prey, as the other hunters normally separated with Jade being the fastest one of them all. That advantage usually gave her some time to take a small nap and quickly return to camp before the others did without anyone getting surprised or suspicious. Yawning again, Jade slowly pulled her legs closer to her chest and rested her head on her knees, already starting to doze off for a nap.

"Sleeping on the job, are we _lethallan_?" A teasing voice asked.

Immediately, Jade jumped up to her feet at the sound of the voice, quickly picking up her bow as she did so only to freeze in placd when she spotted the source of the voice leaning against a tree with a smirk on his face and his own kill slung over his shoulder. Jade resisted the urge to growl furiously at how obviously amused Tamlen was for catching her off guard so easily. The smirk on his face did nothing to calm her annoyance with him, instead it only amplified the annoyance into complete and utter fury.

"Scared you, did I?" He raised an eyebrow at her, still smirking.

Crossing her arms, Jade glared at him."Not. Funny."

Tamlen rolled his eyes, scoffing playfully as he pushed off the tree he was leaning on and walked over to her."Just be glad it was me who found you and not Fenarel. He'd probably tease you mercilessly about it."

"Oh, and you wouldn't?" She retorted, eyebrow raised and disbelief clear in her tone.

"I might've," He admitted,", though I'd honestly prefer to keep my head attached to my neck. Fenarel, on the other hand, isn't as vigilant. Either that or he's just simply suicidal."

"The only problem with Fenarel's brain is that he's too thick to use it." She muttered, bending down to pick up a stone and toss it into the lake, smiling when she saw it bounce a few times before falling and sinking beneath the water. Tamlen placed his own kill next to hers and picked up a stone himself, giving a mix of a groan and a sigh when he failed to make it bounce. Jade smiled and tossed another stone, which bounced like the first one she'd thrown. Tamlen tried again, and failed again. And again, and again, and again. Jade somehow managed to stifle a giggle when he started muttering incoherent elven curses under his breath in vexation over his constant failure.

"It's all the in wrist, _lethallin_." Jade grabbed a stone and placed it in his hand."Just try not to concentrate too hard or use too much strength when you're throwing it. You need to relax and simply let it bounce."

Tamlen stared at her for a moment before sighing and nodding his head. He closed his eyes and tossed the stone into the lake. This time it bounced a few times and he beamed with satisfaction at this new accomplishment. Glancing at Jade, he smiled a little wider when he saw that she was also smiling, her arms neatly folded over her chest as she took a small step closer to him.

"_Ma serannas_." He said quietly."Maybe I can even make it bounce better than you can next time."

"_In na era'en __lethallin_!" She exclaimed jokingly, slapping his arm and unable to resist laughing when he pouted playfully at her like when they were still mere _len_ and crossed his arms defensively.

"It can happen!" Jade smirked at his defensive statement, taking a step closer to him and mockingly patting him on the arm under the pretense of encouragement.

"Sure it can." She murmured dryly then went over to retrieve her kill. Tamlen gave a small, grumpy sigh as he did the same and started following her back to camp.

"_Han pole su_." He grumbled, loud enough for her to hear him.

She rolled her eyes at him."Uh-huh." Was all she said in response to his words before leading the rest of the way back to camp in silence.

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"Merrill," Jade said with a sigh,", for the fiftieth time this week, Tamlen and I are **not **together. Must I repeat myself to you ten times a day to make you understand that there is absolutely **nothing** between us at all?!"

The Dalish mage frowned in confusion."But Jade, you've only told me that **three** times this week, not fifty."

Jade groaned, face palming and rubbing her temples in exasperation. Sitting beside her, Maren smiled sympathetically and gently placed a hand on her arm. Glancing at them over her shoulder, Ineria rolled her eyes and sighed.

"It's a figure of speech, Merrill." She said in her usual brusque tone."She means you just ask the same question too many times and never stop to realize that you always get the same answer."

"Oooh!" Merrill drawled, nodding ever so slowly then smiling at Jade."Just because you're not together now, doesn't mean you won't be eventually." She insisted gently.

"I doubt that." Ineria smirked at Jade."Miss Mahariel over here is just too demure to ever talk to him about her feelings."

"I do not have any feelings for Tamlen!" Jade hissed.

"The stolen glances and smiles you two share over the campfire say different." Ineria retorted, eyebrow raising when Jade looked away to hide her slightly flushed face. She quickly looked back at Ineria and threw her an annoyed glare.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied calmly, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting up straight. Ineria just rolled her eyes again.

"You have terrible lying skills."

"And you have a terrible temper."

"And you have a hopeless crush on Tamlen."

"No, I do not!" Ineria's smirk widened at the small but very much noticeable amount of desperation in her friend's tone as she defended herself.

Jade grumbled to herself as she averted her gaze from her fellow huntress's, light blue eyes flickering at the sudden sound of laughter before landing on it's source. She stifled a groan upon spotting Tamlen leaning against a tree, talking and laughing with Junar and Fenarel about something. It took him a second to catch her eyes on him and he sent her a small smile. Seeing this, Maren and Merrill both smiled at Jade as she tried to keep her face from turning five different shades of red. Ineria gave a chuckle, grinning widely at the way Jade glowered at her in response.

"You are definitely sweet on him, _lethallan_." She teased, shaking her head fondly.

"Oh, _hollen na anto_, Ineria!" Jade growled, refusing to admit just how right her friend truly was.

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_This chapter, as you can see, has been slightly changed edited to fix spelling errors and put in some new dialogue between characters. It is best that you go through all of this now from the start just in case you get confused when you stumble upon something new you don't ever remember reading here before. And I also ask that you all read my other story A Keeper and His Huntress which is a prequel to this about Mahariel's parents. I prefer you read both of them together since events and characters from that story willbe shown and mentioned in this one. _

_Elven Translations:_

_Len - Child/Children _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Lethallin -Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_In na era'en, lethallin! - In your dreams, friend!_

_Han pole su - It can happen _

_Hollen na anto - Shut your mouth_

_Name Meaning: _

_Jade - Orange jewel/Precious gemstone/Green gemstone _

_Next up: Prologue 2:Valerie Cousland_


	2. Prologue 2:Valerie Cousland

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"I'm not a damsel and there is no distress"  
― Carrie Jones, _Need_

**Prologue 2:Valerie Cousland**

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"Maker's breath, girl!" Eleanor Cousland breathed in exasperation as she tried to braid her daughter's light blonde hair."Stop moving and hold still!"

"How can I possibly hold still when you keep on tearing out my hair?" Valerie Cousland whined, wincing when her mother tugged at her hair again. She gave a yelp and suddenly jerked her head away, nearly knocking the Teryna off balance as she quickly slammed her hand against the wall to keep from falling over. Leonard, Valerie's pet mabari hound, barked loudly at the sound of Eleanor's hand hitting the wall but soon laid back down when he saw no one was hurt. Eleanor heaved a very irritated sigh and gave her daughter a miffed look.

"I am not tearing your hair out, girl, I am braiding it so that you do not look like some sweaty, dagger wielding battle maiden!" Her words caused Valerie to narrow her eyes and cross her arms in a defensive pose. She hated it whenever her mother complained about her skills on the battlefield and expressed her beliefs that this, along with Valerie's often non-ladylike behavior, was the reason why her daughter wasn't able to land herself a proper husband yet. In Valerie's opinion though, the only problem regarding the topic of marriage was that all of the men she'd met so far were nothing but a bunch of cads who had no respect for women whatsoever and simply expected her to be a good little wife without any protests or questions.

"You were a battle maiden once too, mother." It was true; back in her younger days, Eleanor was indeed a very adroit fighter and she still was, but nowadays she rarely let that side show, especially in front of other nobles.

"Yes, darling, I was, but unlike you, I enjoyed dressing up and acting like proper nobility. I traded in my blades for the life I have now, but you clearly have no intentions of doing so at all."

"Like it's my fault all those stupid noblemen aren't pleased with who I am and who I will always be." Valerie muttered bitterly."I've already made it abundantly clear that I am not going to be some soft, obedient, little bimbo just because that's what they are looking for in a woman."

"Watch your language, girl!" Eleanor admonished. Her expression softened slightly when she saw the look on her youngest's face, though, and a sigh escaped her lips. Valerie uncrossed her arms and raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Why do I even need to get all dolled up tonight anyway?" Her question caused Eleanor to sigh again like she was afraid to answer.

"I told you already, Lady Landra Loren and her son Dairren are coming to my spring salon tonight and-" The Teryna never got to finish what she was saying as the very mention of a noblewoman coming with her son had caused Valerie's head to snap up and her eyes to become rather hostile.

"Did you just say Lady Landra?" She demanded, making her mother sigh again.

"Yes, darling, and I-"

"Is coming to your spring salon tonight?"

"Yes, I-"

"With her son?"

"Yes, and darling please listen, Dairren is a very nice young man-"

"Nice, my arse!" Valerie shouted angrily, her lips forming into a nasty scowl."Mother, how many times do I have to tell you that I am **not** interested in any of your dearest friends' caddish sons!"

"Not all of them are like that, darling." Eleanor sighed softly. This wasn't the first time they'd had this type of conversation and it most definitely wouldn't be the last."Some of them are perfect gentlemen like your father. I remember how smitten I was when my parents first introduced me to him and when he finally proposed, I felt complete and I want the same for you; for you to find a nice young man with whom you'll fall in love and have children with. I just want what's best for you, my dear girl."

"I know you do Mother," Valerie said gently,", but you can't decide what's best for me. Neither can Father or Fergus or anyone else. That's my decision and getting married to some nobleman who doesn't want me for me isn't what's best for me at all."

"I suppose not." Her mother gave a small nod."But please darling, could you at least try to get to know Dairren? Maybe he's the type of man you're interested in."

"Mother-" Valerie groaned.

"Please Valerie, for me?" The blonde had to resist the urge to sigh at the pleading glint in her mother's eyes, looking as if she might cry. She heaved a sigh and took her mother's hands in her own, nodding.

"Okay mother, I'll try for you." Eleanor made a small sound of relief as she threw her arms around her daughter, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, darling." The Teryna whispered.

Smiling sadly, Valerie tapped her mother lightly on the back and couldn't help but think that she might regret this later on tonight. If only she knew just how right she was at that exact moment.

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"Is she always like this?" Valerie's question was said in a soft whisper to the young man sitting beside her, her hazel eyes flickering toward the young man's drunken mother for emphasis as the intoxicated woman babbled nonstop with Eleanor. Turning to Valerie, Dairren gave her a tired smile and let out a sigh.

"Only when she's had too much to drink." He brought his hands to his forehead and rubbed his temples."Like she has tonight as you can see."

"Hmm." Valerie leaned in and rested her chin on her fist, remaining silent for a moment before turning to Dairren."So about-"

"Let me guess." He interrupted her."Your mother convinced you to try to get to know me in hopes that you and I might eventually marry." It was a statement, not a question, and a very accurate statement at that. Valerie gave a terse nod in reply and grinned dryly, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Your mother gets on your nerves about marriage too?" Dairren scoffed as if the question was a mockery of some sort to him. That was more than enough to convince Valerie that he too had been pestered about finding a suitable spouse by his mother and so far rejected every potential candidate for that position. Well at least that meant he could empathize with her in this case.

"You have no idea." His words were whispered in a rather bitter tone which Valerie herself had also used on more than a few occasions whenever speaking with her mother on the subject of getting married. She ran a hand through her blonde tresses that were each neatly braided by her mother and then tied up together in a chignon and smoothed out the wrinkles of her long-sleeved blue dress that even she, despite her intense dislike for the proper noble's fancy dress code, had to admit did look rather nice on her. Her hazel eyes glinted with weariness over having listened to Lady Landra's aggravating chatter for the past two hours or so, though it felt like a century to both her and Dairren.

Dairren groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment when Landra started boasting about her son's good looks. Valerie held back a laugh for his sake, instead letting her eyes flicker in a quick glare at her mother who just sat quietly with her hands folded on the table and listened to Landra chattering like some cockatoo, a pleasantly fake smile plastered across her face as usual. Suppressing a sigh, the blonde cleared her throat and excused herself, ignoring the glance her mother shot her as she left the table.

As soon as she was far enough from the table, Valerie might as well have fled the room, giving a roll of her eyes at the sight of two half-asleep guards by the door suddenly straightening up and nodding respectfully at her when she passed. She may have been nobility, but she extremely disliked the idea of being served, instead opting to do most things on her own, and felt very miffed whenever the servants or guards acted in such ridiculous awe over her mere presence as if they were seeing the prophetess Andraste Herself. It was such a nuisance sometimes, but she could do nothing about it other than try ignoring it. Unsuccessfully most of the time, one might add too.

She hardly noticed it when she got outside for some fresh air and leaned against the wall, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. The feeling in her gut from only a few hours ago saying that she would regret the promise she made to her mother about agreeing to get to know Dairren was absolutely right; this was officially the worst night of her life. Perhaps it was even worse than the day of Fergus's wedding to Oriana six years ago during which she was forced to dance with her father's friend, Arl Rendon Howe's, youngest son Thomas, who like his father, was an annoying lecher. Much to her relief, she and Thomas hardly saw each other anymore, the last time being when Thomas ran into her at the Denerim fair a little more than two mere months ago, during which he spent over an hour flirting with her and refusing to leave her alone. The boy was four years her junior and she'd made it very clear that she wasn't interested in him at all, but like his father, Thomas remained blissfully ignorant and lecherous at all times.

Valerie brought her hand to her head and rubbed her temples with her fingers to rid herself of the headache that she'd gotten tonight from Landra. There was no doubt in her mind that Dairren and some other people would probably have to pour the intoxicated woman into a carriage on their way home after the salon seeing as Landra wasn't even able to so much as stand up properly without help from someone else and that was just after a few drinks at the beginning of the salon. One could only imagine how she was still not passed out from being so inebriated tonight.

Closing her eyes, Valerie leant her head back against the wall and took a deep breath like she was readying herself to go back inside where the salon would continue for a few more hours. Maker help her as she knew he already had so far. She slowly opened her eyes, heaved another sigh, and turned to leave. Just when her fingers wrapped around the doorknob, however, the sound of a very familiar voice grabbed her attention.

"Milady?" She didn't have to turn around to know it was Ser Rory Gilmore, one of the knights in service to her father and a good friend of hers who she'd grown up with in Castle Cousland. With all of the stress she often received from her family, especially her mother, Valerie sometimes felt like the red-haired knight was the only real person she could talk to freely and without reservations. He didn't judge her for being cross with the noble life she had to face and listened to whatever she had to say whenever she wanted to say it. There were also more than a few times during Valerie's dagger practice sessions when she would confess to him how tired she was of all the noble qualities her mother expected her to meet and just wished she could live a different life in which she actually felt truly needed and loved for who she really was, but she honestly doubted something like that would ever happen.

With a sigh, she turned on her heel and gave him a small smile that clearly showed just how tired she was from everything that was happening tonight."Hello, Ser Gilmore." Her words were slightly muffled by her hands as she lowered her gaze to the floor. The knight frowned, taking a few steps closer to her. She slowly looked up when he spoke to her softly.

"Are you alright, milady?" There was great concern in his voice."Should you not be at your mother's spring salon tonight?" She gave him a dry smile in response.

"Yes, but I came outside because I thought some fresh air would help relieve me of this awful headache I've received tonight during the salon." He raised a slightly amused eyebrow at this.

"Is this another one of the Teryna's attempts to marry you off to the next suitor?" She bit her lip and nodded.

"Exactly."

A slow and very small smirk crossed his lips."The sad eyes bit again?" This caused her to laugh quietly as she nodded."Who is it this time?"

"You remember Bann Loren and his wife Landra?"

"Do they not have a son by the name of Dairren?" Valerie gave a nod at his question, a humorless chuckle escaping her lips.

"The thing is...Dairren isn't the problem. It's his mother Lady Landra who's the real nuisance. She's quite drunk, I'm afraid, and won't stop trying to convince me to marry her son. Apparently, Dairren is just as apathetic of the idea of marriage as I am and it's not the first time his mother has done something like this from what I understand."

"In other words, your mother has once again failed to find you a husband?" The amused look on Ser Gilmore's face made Valerie giggle softly and he smiled widely at her before a brief silence fell between them that the knight eventually broke by clearing his throat rather uncomfortably.

"May I ask you a question, milady?"

"Of course." She said, cocking her head to the side slightly."What is it?"

"Why do you reject all of the other noblemen who have asked for your hand? Surely not **all** of them are be **that **bad." She hesitated to give him answer, biting her lip and staying silent for a moment before finally answering.

"Well no, not at **all** of them are **that** bad. Dairren, for example, seems like a nice man but I prefer him as a friend."

"And what of the other potential suitors?"

"I admit I've been interested in a few of them, but that interest always faded when I realized that they were really just like the others. They expect me to get married and never pick up another weapon again and just act like an obedient little wife of theirs who wears pretty dresses and has no say in her husband's decisions regarding their marriage and children and Maker knows what else. Not to mention the rest of them are simply...uninterested in someone as fierce-tempered and strange as I am."

He frowned at her, but it quickly became a smile."You are not strange, milady. Fierce-tempered, perhaps, but certainly not strange." She chuckled at his words, arching an eyebrow.

"How do I know you're not just saying that to make me feel better?" He grinned a little in response.

"As a knight, I can tell no lies, milady, and what I just said is no lie."

She studied him for a moment then took a step closer to him."Why do you always call me that?"

"Call you what, milady?" She rolled her eyes at the slightest hint of teasing in his tone.

"Milady? Why do you always call me milady?" She demanded, folding her arms over her chest and looking a little bit impatient.

He somehow managed to avoid flushing and looked at her as calmly as he could manage before answering."It is out of respect for someone of your, ahem, status, milady." Her eyebrow rose at this and she pursed her lips together in the slightest hint of vexation. But just when she had opened her mouth to speak, a guard from inside the castle opened the door and informed Valerie that her mother was requesting her presence back at the salon at once. Doing her best to stifle a groan, Valerie sighed and told the guard she would be there in a moment. Ser Gilmore watched her slowly turn back to him as the guard nodded curtly and closed the door. A small, almost sad smile crossed Valerie's lips.

"I guess we'll have to talk another time then, Ser Gilmore." The knight gave a nod of agreement.

"Yes, milady." He murmured.

Valerie sighed again and started to head back inside, but just as she was beginning to open the door, she suddenly turned around and rushed back to Ser Gilmore. The knight opened his mouth to ask her if something was wrong, but the words died in his throat when she quickly placed a kiss on his cheek then hurried back inside in a flash, leaving him standing there in shock. After a second of stunned silence, Ser Gilmore placed a hand over the spot on his face where she had kissed him and gave a rather goofy grin. He suddenly found himself looking forward to his next conversation with Valerie Cousland.

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**As usual, remember to review, leave constructive, but no flames!**

**Name meaning: **

**Valerie - Strong/Healthy/Fierce one **

**Next up: Prologue 3:Regina Surana, Natasha Amell**


	3. Prologue 3:Regina Surana, Natasha Amell

**Disclaimer:**** I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one? Or are you always a sister, even when the other half of the equation is gone?"  
― Jodi Picoult, _My Sister's Keeper_

**Prologue 3:Regina Surana, Natasha Amell**

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'Rosie, why did you leave me?'

Natasha Amell sat frozen in place on the floor of her quarters in the tower, her grey eyes bloodshot from all of the crying she'd done as she held in her arms the lifeless body of Rosie Amell, her little sister, her last little sibling. She stared down at her sister, slowly reaching out a shaky hand to close her now lifeless eyes and lowered her gaze to the floor, beginning to sob quietly into her hands. Her heart felt like someone had just taken a knife and stabbed her right through the chest, just like Daylen had done to himself that fateful day two years ago.

When the Templars burst suddenly inside their home, everything took a turn for the worse. Samuel, the youngest of them all, only eight years old, revealed himself an abomination and a blood mage. Solona, sweet long orange-haired Solona, such a nice, kind, sweet girl, had taken the blow for a Templar to save him from Samuel and not just any Templar; it was the Knight-Commander Greagior. Natasha remembered watching Solona's body crumble to the floor as Daylen rushed to her, feeling her life slip away in his arms, as both he and Natasha them tried to get through to Samuel. They seemed to be succeeding, but Greagior didn't think so. He drew his sword, gave a loud yell, and suddenly charged, knocking the two of them roughly aside like rag dolls, and before anyone knew it, Samuel's head was rolling across the floor and their mother, Revka, cried out in grief.

She could never forget the look on Daylen's face as his body shook uncontrollably with both anger and dole before he too snapped at the Templars, declaring furiously that he would not be taken by them. He grabbed a knife and plunged it into his chest, right into his heart and fell dead to the floor. Rosie and Revka were both screaming and sobbing by then as Natasha begged the Templars not to arrest her mother as long as she and her sister went with them to the Circle and Revka, so terribly shaken up and nearly sick from what she'd just witnessed, could do nothing but agree to these heartbreaking terms.

That was two long years ago and now Rosie was dead too, having poisoned herself and come to say goodbye to her sister one last time. But before Rose died she made Natasha promise her one last thing; that she would find their mother and tell her how sorry Rosie was for not being strong enough to live on without the rest of their family. Natasha gave her word that she would and with a very small smile on her face, Rosie died. She couldn't bring herself to get off the floor, to let go of her baby sister, her dead baby sister, her last little sibling, and so she just remained there, white as a sheet and still as a rock.

It wasn't until she felt someone gently rubbing circles into her back that she turned around to see Anders, his expression full of compassion and sadness. He brushed her chestnut-colored bangs away from her forehead, sighing quietly when he saw the pitiful look on her face. Natasha rarely ever let her emotions show, putting on this cold and surly demeanor so no one would ever see how truly broken she was and that demeanor had now crumbled. The sound of the door opening caused them both to turn around as Jowan came dragging both Irving and Greagior into the room, pointing sorrowfully at Rosie's very still form.

Irving frowned, feeling great pity for the poor dead girl and her sister, who'd watched and felt her pass away. Greagior said nothing. He and Natasha never got along well as the chestnut-haired mage never forgave him for murdering Samuel and declared several times from day one that she never would. She hoped he would one day die a slow painful death, or better yet, she wished Solona hadn't taken the blow for him and just let this pathetic excuse for a living being die like he deserved. The First Enchanter reprimanded her multiples times for saying such things and demanded she apologize to the Templar, but Natasha refused and Greagior did not ever force the issue. They hated each other with a passion and wanted nothing more than for the other to fail at life and die a very terrible death.

A still quivery Natasha slowly felt Jowan and Anders help her stand up, but her knees quickly buckled and they barely caught her arms in time to keep her from falling. The two young men who Natasha regarded as brothers gently guided the trembling mage to her bunk where she slowly laid down and curled herself into a ball. Greagior soon called in some more Templars to prepare Rosie's body for a proper funeral service, Natasha never taking her eyes off the stiff as it was carried out of the room.

Anders and Jowan did not leave her side, both of them sitting by her bed and trying to comfort her, but she didn't even bother to acknowledge them, instead staring straight up ahead with eyes that showed no emotion or sign of life in them. After almost an hour of receiving no response from the grieving girl, they decided to let her have some time to herself and gently pulled the covers over her quiet form. Natasha watched them head back to their own bunks and slowly rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling, blinking away more tears that threatened to come and swallowing down sobs. She refused to let herself cry anymore, she needed to be strong for her little siblings who were all now watching over her and expecting her to make good on her promise to one day find and reunite with Revka Amell.

Those were her last thoughts before she closed her eyes and slowly fell into a restless sleep plagued by dreams of Rosie's lifeless body in a tomb and Samuel's innocent face as Greagior cut him down.

* * *

**One Year Later:**

Working her fingers through the ponytail of her apple-red hair, Regina Surana heaved a sigh as she followed First Enchanter down the hall to her new quarters that she would be sharing with three other apprentices.

The elven mage had just recently been moved up to some of the higher floors thanks to some supportive comments by Senior Enchanter Wynne to Irving. She blushed a little upon finding about this just a few days earlier, but thanked the older woman greatly. It was true that despite her often shy or nervous nature, Regina was a very smart young woman with great potential who, like anyone else, had her moments and did sometimes bend the rules a bit, but was otherwise a perfectly friendl, kind, and well-behaved individual.

Eventually, Irving stopped in front of one of the doors and looked at Regina over his shoulder with a small smile.

"These will be your new quarters, Regina, I will introduce you to your new roommates as well." Regina gave a nod as Irving opened the door and ushered her inside. There two male apprentices in the room, both of them talking about something in whispers. They both looked up at the sound of Irving clearing his throat to get their attention and Regina took a tentative step forward when the First Enchanter gestured for her to come closer.

"Anders, Jowan." Regina's dark green eyes studied the two apprentices as Irving introduced her to them."This is Apprentice Regina Surana, your new roommate." She noticed Irving seemed to be looking for someone else on the other side of the room and when it became clear that whoever he was looking for was not there, he turned to the two males with a questioning look. Seemingly understand Irving's silent question, the blonde apprentice called Anders cleared his throat and answered.

"She went to the library to study after class." Regina cocked her head to the side as she wondered who her third roommate would be. The way Anders sounded when he spoke of her seemed like he was sad about something or perhaps worried for his female roommate. Jowan gave an almost sad nod and it looked to Regina as if a silent type of understanding had passed between Irving and the two male apprentices. Irving nodded back in reply and left Regina to get settled in her new room.

"Hi." She said, hesitantly walking closer to them and not really knowing what else to say. Fortunately, they seemed to understand her timidity and both gave her separate smiles that she happily returned. For the next few hours, Regina took the time to get to know her new roommates and found that she enjoyed their company. Anders was quite friendly and funny and so was Jowan. They welcomed her warmly and instantly she knew that she had found good friends in them both.

When the door opened, Regina turned to see an unfamiliar female apprentice who she guessed was her female roommate enter the room. The human woman was very beautiful with long chestnut-colored hair tied in a loose ponytail behind her back and grey eyes that glinted with a hint of fury and interest when she spotted Regina talking with Anders and Jowan.

"Well, look who finally finished studying." Anders jested like he was trying to lighten the chestnut-haired mage's mood and a very small smile crossed her lips but vanished just as quickly. She stared at Regina and with some hesitation, the elven mage walked over to her and extended a hand for her to shake.

"Hi, I'm Regina." The human girl blinked and slowly smiled again before she shook Regina's hand and introduced herself.

"Natasha Amell. Pleased to meet you." She lowered her eyes briefly and little did Regina know, a single thought ran through Natasha's head as she smiled sadly back at the elven girl.

'I won't lose another sister.'

* * *

**Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!**

**Name Meanings:**

**Natasha - Rebirth **

**Regina - Queen**

**Next up: Prologue 4:Zoë Tabris **


	4. Prologue 4:Zoë Tabris

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"All those poor elves I haven't set free yet, having to stay over during Christmas because there aren't enough hats!"  
― J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_

**Prologue 4:Zoë Tabris**

* * *

"I hate going to the market."

Looking up from the basket under her arm and the shopping list in her hand, Zoë Tabris cocked her head to the side and raised an amused eyebrow at her cousin's miffed grumble. Shianni was a fiery redhead and a well-known troublemaker in the Alienage and so was Zoë, but unlike her cousin, the older girl was much more skilled when it came to avoiding getting caught or lectured about it, something Shianni failed at miserably. Shaking her head, Zoë felt her ankle-length strawberry blonde braids flick lightly against her back and gave a snort of amusement.

"You hate everything that doesn't involve getting into trouble." Shianni crossed her arms and glowered in a rather sullen manner, causing Zoë to smirk widely at her. Since Shianni's father had passed away when they were still children shortly after her mother died giving birth to Shianni, she and Soris were taken in by Zoë and her parents. Being older than them both, Zoë often acted like a big sister to her younger cousins and was very protective, especially after Adaia was murdered by a group of _shemlen _while defending Zoë and several other elves from the lustful bastards after they attacked the market with the intention of raping women and children. The fire in Adaia's eyes was unmistakeable as she made quick work of the guards, only to perish when the _shem_ in charge stabbed her through the heart just as she did the same to him.

Zoë never really recovered emotionally from the ordeal. Her sleep was almost always plagued by terrible nightmares that forced her to relive her _mamae's_ death and all of them ended the exact same way; Adaia gave her one final smile before her eyes closed and her breathing stopped. Next thing she knew, the elven girl had woken up screaming, sweating, and sobbing as her father desperately tried to comfort her, but as soon as she was asleep again, the dreams returned and each time they only got worse.

"Like you're any better." Shianni retorted.

"Better at not getting caught than you are, that's for sure." Zoë said dryly as she shoved the shopping list into Shianni's hands and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear."Now quit your whining and read me the first thing on the list. The sooner we finish up here, the sooner we can go home." When Shianni did not do as she said, the older elf heaved a sigh and threw her a stern look."Shianni, if you don't help me here, then I'm going to tell Alarith that you were the one who put glue in his moccasins last week."

Shianni's eyes went wide and quickly narrowed."You wouldn't dare."

Zoë smirked, taking a small step closer to her."Try me, cousin."

"Alright, alright, fine." Shianni grumbled to herself with a very annoyed sigh before taking a look at the list."First thing on the list is...mushrooms?" She looked up from the list and quirked an eyebrow."We haven't needed mushrooms in years, who's cooking tonight?"

"I am." Zoë smiled."The other day I was going through one of my mother's cookbooks so I could find that special vegetable soup she used to make when I was a kid. I thought it would be nice if I tried making it myself. One of the ingredients I need are mushrooms."

"Oh, I remember that." Shianni nodded slowly and smiled."Remember how you, me, and Soris would always beg for seconds until we were all too full to eat anymore?"

Zoë laughed."And then Father would scold us about eating too much when we got those terrible stomachaches all night." The smile soon faded from her lips as she sighed and returned to reality."Come on, I wanna get all these ingredients I need for the soup before sunset. The last thing I want is for those _shemlen_ guards to get a nice little chance to turn in a couple of lady elves wandering out in the dark after curfew."

"Tell me about it." Shianni muttered in agreement.

* * *

"What's taking so long? I'm starving."

Rolling her eyes at Soris's complaint, Zoë stirred a large wooden spoon in the pot as Shianni took out four bowls and spoons. Soris had been whining nonstop for almost an hour now and how Zoë simply managed to ignore him rather than just smack him upside the head so he would shut up already was a mystery to Shianni, who would've gladly done so a long time ago.

"Almost ready, Soris." Zoë said over her shoulder as she tasted the soup and hummed in delicious content, nodding to herself. She beckoned Shianni over, letting the redhead try it as well and smiling when she saw her grin widely at how good it tasted."You can stop complaining and sit down now, Soris." She then called her father over."Father, dinner's ready."

"You never did tell me what you were cooking tonight, my dear." Cyrion stated, raising an eyebrow questionably as he took a seat beside Soris. Zoë gave Shianni a grin and the redhead couldn't help but return it. She could just picture what her father's reaction would be when he saw the dish her mother would always love cooking for everyone.

"It smells familiar." Soris commented, sniffing the air.

"It should." Zoë said, smiling to herself."You just haven't had it in a very long time."

From the corner of her eye, she saw her father's eyes narrow and could've sworn she heard something similar to a ghost of a sigh escape his lips. A frown spread across her face when she heard this. Did he already realize what was for dinner? If so, then why did he seem so...cross or unhappy about the meal? She brushed it off as simply being her imagination and assured herself that everything would be just fine as Shianni helped her fill the bowls up with soup.

"Oh." Cyrion said simply as Zoë and Shianni sat down at the table."Your mother's old soup."

"Uh, yeah." Zoë gave a small nod, her smile threatening to falter at the uninterested tone in her father's voice."I found it in her cookbooks and just thought-" She was suddenly cut off when Cyrion calmly pushed his bowl away and stood up to leave.

"I don't think I'm very hungry tonight." He murmured simply."I'll see you all in the morning."

As soon as the door to her father's room closed, Zoë swallowed down a sob that threatened to escape her throat and tightened her grip on the spoon as she started to eat quietly. She felt Shianni touch her arm, but the former shrugged her off and grabbed a piece of bread, her teeth roughly digging into the viand. Shianni exchanged worried looks with Soris, both of them stealing glances at a clearly upset and sulky Zoë, the three young elves drifting in silence as they ate. Soris eventually cleared this throat in an attempt to break the silence.

"This soup tastes great, cousin." He gave a weak smile that caused Zoë to smile sadly in gratitude for the small compliment. She lowered her eyes and sigh quietly to herself.

"Thanks." Her voice was weak at best, but both of her cousins were glad that she at least wasn't so quiet anymore. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and did her best to sound jovial."Anyone for seconds?"

Both Soris and Shianni nodded eagerly and Zoë started to feel a little bit better.

* * *

**Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!**

**Elven Translations:**

**Shem/Shemlen - (Literally: Quick children) Humans **

**Mamae - Mother**

**Name meaning: **

**Zoë - Life **

**Next up: Chapter 1:Mirror, Mirror**


	5. Chapter 1:Mirror, Mirror

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"She left the web, she left the loom,  
She made three paces through the room,  
She saw the water-lily bloom,  
She saw the helmet and the plume,  
She look'd down to Camelot.  
Out flew the web and floated wide;  
The mirror crack'd from side to side;  
"The curse is come upon me," cried  
The Lady of Shalott."  
― Alfred Tennyson, _The Lady of Shalott_

**Chapter 1:Mirror, Mirror**

* * *

"_Mythal'enaste_, where is that _seldo_?" Jade asked herself aloud in vexation as she spent the last half-hour searching tirelessly for a certain blonde elven hunter.

The last few weeks since Ineria teased her by the campfire about her feelings for Tamlen were difficult for Jade. She spent most of her time hunting with him just to see him more more often and each time whenever she tried confessing to him her affections, fear of rejection always gave her pause and kept her from telling him the truth. They still shared stolen glances and smiles over the campfire, but nothing came of it.

Today, she was **supposed** to be assisting Master Ilen, but the clan's craftsman had just smiled at her and told her she could go hunting with Tamlen. That made her turn about five or six different shades of red as she stuttered out the question of what he was talking about. Master Ilen just shook his head and laughed, walking away and leaving an astonished Jade standing alone to stare with wide eyes. Did everyone in the clan know about her attraction to Tamlen but said elf? If so, then she must've done a very poor job of being discreet about it.

'Just wait until Ashalle finds out.' Jade groaned mentally.'Then I will most definitely **never** hear the end of it.'

Tamlen had gone on his hunt earlier that day and she'd went out to look for him, so far without any results. It was as if the blonde elf had simply vanished into thin air. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered giving up looking for him and going back to camp when a shriek suddenly echoed throughout the forest. The huntress jumped in surprise, hurrying toward the source of the sound at full speed and wondering if Tamlen was anywhere near it. She stopped eventually to catch her breath and looked around, spotting some figures through the forest brush. Getting down on the ground, she crawled toward a bush and peeked out carefully from behind the bush, spotting Tamlen pointing his bow and notching an arrow at three terrified-looking _shemlen, _one of them practically shaking in his toes while the other two seemed to have fallen and were trying to crawl away as he advanced on them. The middle _shem_ on the ground gave a cry of surprise and pointed at Tamlen.

"Look, it's a Dalish!" Tamlen grinned evilly, pulling lightly on the string to make the humans yelp with fright as he took a threatening step toward them.

"And you three are somewhere you shouldn't be." Even from behind the bush, Jade could see the malice glint in his light blue eyes. It scared her a little and she almost felt sorry for the humans. Almost. She raised an eyebrow when the _shem_ on his feet forced himself to stop shaking and glared bravely at Tamlen, puffing out his chest in a poor attempt to look brave.

"Let us pass now, elf! You have no right to stop us!" Tamlen laughed a rather dangerous laugh that caused the_shem_ to jump slightly with a frightened squeal. The evil grin on Tamlen's face only widened when he spotted Jade slowly coming out of her hiding place and going over to stand beside him, her own bow pointed at the three humans.

"No?" He questioned, eyebrow raised."I guess we'll just have to see about that now, won't we?"

"_Aneth ara, lethallin_." Jade said quietly with a nod of acknowledgement."I heard a scream and figured you'd found something...or someone as it would seem."

Tamlen nodded curtly."You're just in time, Jade. I found these skittish little humans lurking in the bushes and I'm sure they're bandits."

"We aren't bandits!" The middle one on the ground cried fearfully."Please don't hurt us!"

Tamlen let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head in disgust."You _shemlen_ are simply pathetic. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that it was **your** kind who drove our people from their homelands."

"We haven't ever done anything to you Dalish!" The third human protested."We didn't even know this forest was yours!"

Jade glared."You fool, this forest does not **belong** to us." She shook her head."No, I'm afraid you've just stumbled a little too close to our camp."

Tamlen sneered at them."You _shems_ are all like vermin. We can't possibly trust you not to make mischief. It's all your kind has ever done." He turned to Jade."What do you say to this, _lethallan_? What do you think we should do with them?"

Jade studied them thoughtfully before heaving a sigh."Let them go. You judge humans too harshly."

Tamlen scowled."You are far too soft on them, _lethallan_. How much suffering must our people endure in order for you to despise these humans properly?"

She started to reply, but was cut off by the middle human who'd picked himself up and started stuttering an explanation about how they wanted no trouble and had found a cave with ruins like none of them had ever seen before. Jade couldn't help herself; she laughed loudly and shook her head in disbelief.

"I'd certainly like to see these so-called ruins of yours, _shem_." Tamlen gave a nod of agreement at her words.

"Me too. I've never heard of any ruins located in these parts." The first human jumped in his shoes, reaching for something in his pocket and taking out a strange-looking stone.

"I have proof, look!" Tamlen immediately snatched the stone away and examined it with wide eyes.

"This stone has carvings like I've never seen before." Jade kept her bow trained at the humans as she moved a little closer to Tamlen so she could see the stone and heard him gasp in surprise."Is this Elvish? Actual written Elvish?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, mentally reminding herself to ask him how he knew it was written Elvish carved into the stone. Only keepers and their firsts should know how the elven language was written and no one else, but Tamlen for some reason seemed to know as well. She couldn't say she was surprised; he was a troublemaker and a very sneaky one at that. Her attention was brought back to the humans when one of them spoke up rather quickly.

"There's more in the ruins, but we didn't get very far in." That was certainly suspicious.

"Oh?" Jade questioned."And why not?"

"There was a demon!" He exclaimed, shaking with fear."It was huge with big black eyes. Oh, thank the Maker we managed to outrun it!"

Tamlen let out another humorless laugh."A demon?" He raised an eyebrow and shook his head with a sigh."Where is this cave of yours, _shem_?"

"Just off the west, I think." The human pointed toward that direction."There's a cave in the rock face along with a huge hole just up ahead."

Tamlen looked at Jade."Well, do you trust them? Should we let them go?"

Jade frowned, lowering her eyes as she glanced at the terrified humans, their eyes pleading for clemency. She heaved a sigh and turned back to Tamlen.

"Kill one. The other two will make sure no else comes." That was all the encouragement the second and third humans on the ground needed. Without so much as a second thought to their companion, they scrambled up and ran off, leaving him to his fate. The remaining human backed away fearfully, pleading desperately for his life and letting out a yelp as Tamlen's arrow pierced his heart. He slowly fell to the floor, whimpering like an injured puppy before death finally took him and he stopped moving.

Tamlen lowered his bow and casually went to retrieve his arrow, twirling the weapon around a bit before placing it back in his quiver. Jade's eyes briefly flickered toward the dead human and then at her clan mate, who obviously couldn't care less about the stiff before him, simply giving the human's corpse a small glance and then turning back to Jade with a slight shrug.

"Well, shall we see if there's any truth to what they were saying?" He asked."These carvings make me curious."

Jade frowned."Shouldn't we inform the keeper?"

Tamlen shrugged."She might be interested in these carving, but I'd rather see if there's actually anything worth getting excited about first. Now, they said it was just off the west..."

"Tamlen." Jade said, wanting to tell him the truth. He turned to her, eyebrow raised.

"Yes?" She sighed, shaking her head.

"Forget it, nothing important." Tamlen narrowed his eyes at her, but nodded.

"If you say so, now come on so we can find those ruins they were talking about."

"Right." She sighed, slumping her shoulders as she followed after him.

* * *

It was taking all of Jade's mental strength to not just explode emotionally and throw her arms around Tamlen like an immature _da'ashalen _and blurt out how she felt about him. The way he always smiled at her nearly made the raven-haired huntress melt into a mud muddle. Not to mention how handsome he was, with his light blue eyes, slightly tanned skin, dark blonde hair, and what he must've looked like under his armor...

She could feel her cheeks flush at that last thought, swiftly shaking her head to rid her mind of such inappropriate thoughts. A part of her was starting to think that he didn't return her feelings for him. All throughout their childhood, the two of them were very close and there were many occasions when the _vea'en _would bring up the idea of them marrying in the future. Any mention of marriage always caused the two children to scream in disgust and make gagging noises. The adults would just roll their eyes, stating that they would understand everything better once they were older.

Now they were older and she most definitely understood everything better, but she feared that Tamlen might not feel the same way. Surely, he would have already confessed any feelings of the romantic sort to her if he returned them instead of simply keeping quiet about it like she was. Tamlen wasn't exactly the kind of person who kept whatever he felt inside. In fact, he'd always chided her growing up for keeping things that bothered her to herself. It only made sense to think that he held no affections for her, she supposed.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Tamlen's shout of her name that echoed off the cavern's walls as he grabbed her arm and barely pulled her aside in time to avoid getting pounced on by a giant spider. She blinked several times, eyes widening in realization at the sight of four giant spiders just popping out of nowhere and trying to make a meal out of the two elves. Tamlen drew his bow and shot an arrow at the spider he'd just saved his clan mate from, flinching when the creature screeched loudly in a mix of both pain and rage and glared furiously at Tamlen. Jade gave a yelp as Tamlen pulled her aside again and spun around to shoot an arrow at another spider. It was then that Jade finally snapped fully back into reality and drew her own bow.

The huntress backed away slightly so she and Tamlen were standing back-to-back as the four giant spiders cornered them. There was silence for a moment before one of the spiders screeched and Jade reacted by shooting an arrow into one of it's eyes. In response, the other three lunged at them, saliva dripping from their loudly snapping jaws in disappointed anger over missing their targets. Grabbing two arrows, Tamlen shot them both separately at two different spiders and quickly rolled aside to avoid their attack before shooting two more arrows and smirking as the spiders fell dead to the floor with screeches of pain.

Jade let out a yipe as she jumped to the floor when the spider with her arrow in it's eye lunged at her. It grabbed her ankle and started pulling her back, but swiftly retrieved her bow and shot an arrow into another one of it's eyes, followed by two more arrows that finally brought it down. Tamlen rushed over and helped her up, both of them each taking out one arrow and shooting at the last giant spider, watching as it gave a loud screech and it's lifeless form crumbled to the floor. They both almost fell over, struggling to catch their breath and Jade couldn't help but comment on what had just happened.

"Well, that was surreal." Tamlen gave a nod of agreement at her words, trying not to fall over from exhaustion. His eyes lowered for a second before widening as if he had just remembered something important and he gave her a questioning look.

"Wait a second, weren't you supposed be assisting Master Ilen today? How did you end up coming with me?" He raised his eyebrow suspiciously at her, crossing his arms when she looked away to hide her slightly flushed cheeks and lowered her gaze to the floor, shuffling her feet nervously before answering in an almost inaudible tone of voice.

"I wanted to be with you." Her answer was nothing more than a quiet whisper, but he could clearly hear every word she spoke and a very sluggish smile spread across his handsome face when he heard what she said. Uncrossing his arms, he reached out and tilted her chin up with his fingers before slowly leaning in and gently pressing his lips against hers.

The raven-haired huntress's eyes widened as she felt her face heat up at the sudden feeling of his lips on hers, but quickly reciprocated by wrapping her arms around his neck while he put his own arms around her waist to pull her closer. After a moment, he pulled away and smiled at her.

"I though that might be the case." He murmured against her lips."I'm glad."

That being said, he released her and she didn't even bother to hide her smile as she touched her lips where he had kissed her and followed him further into the cave.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Tamlen gasped."You recognize this statue, don't you?"

Jade cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms as she studied the statue thoughtfully before shrugging slightly."I admit it's kinda worn, but seems vaguely familiar to me."

"Back when our people were still living in _Arlathan_, statues like this one honored the Creators. But when the_shems_ enslaved us, a majority of that lore was lost." Tamlen explained."This statue looks like human architecture. I wonder if these ruins can possibly date back to the time of _Arlathan_..."

"Maybe." Jade shrugged."But there really isn't much left down here as you can see."

"Yes." He said with a sigh."Time and decay slowly take their toll, but there's still bound to be something of value here."

"I hope you're right." She muttered under her breath.

A strange sound suddenly rang throughout the cave that made them both jump in surprise and look all around for the source of the sound. Jade's eyes instantly went wide when two living skeletons came from behind a corner, swords drawn as they charged at the two elves. She let out a squeal while narrowly avoiding one skeleton's sword connecting with her neck and used her leg to swipe it off it's feet. The skeleton started to get up, but she pinned it down with her foot and shot it in between the eye sockets with an arrow. Tamlen quickly shot down the other one and looked back at his female companion with wide eyes.

"Those were walking corpses!" He exclaimed."Is this place haunted or something?!"

Moaning, Jade ran a hand over her face but said nothing in response.

* * *

"I don't even want to **know** what that creature was." Jade panted heavily as the monster they'd just fought finally fell dead to the floor. Tamlen ignored her, his blue eyes going wide as he stared at the strange mirror before him. She hesitantly went to stand beside him and when he spoke, his voice sounded like he was in some sort of trance.

"Isn't it beautiful, _lethallan_?" He asked in awe."Any idea what that writing means?"

Jade shrugged."Don't touch the glass?" She said, half-jokingly.

Tamlen scoffed."Like we'd be able to leave a fingerprint or anything on it. There's not a single smudge or crack on the glass." His eyes suddenly widened."Hey, did you see that?"

"See what?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"I think something moved inside the mirror." He moved closer to it and she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Get away from it, Tamlen." She said, but he pulled away from her grip.

"There it is again." He gasped."Didn't you see it? I need to get a closer look."

Jade watched as Tamlen slowly reached out and touched the mirror."It's showing me some kind of underground city...and...there's... a great blackness of some sort..." His eyes shut for a moment before suddenly opening as he screamed."It saw me! Help! I can't look away!"

"Tamlen!" Jade screamed as a blinding white light suddenly erupted from the mirror and an unknown force threw her back. She opened her lips to scream, but as soon as her head hit the floor, everything went black.

* * *

"Can you hear me?" A voice asked.

Jade's vision was blurry as she opened her eyes to see a dark-skinned _shem_ leaning over her. The _shem_ shook his head."I am very sorry."

That was the last she heard before she drifted back into the peaceful bliss of unconsciousness.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Mythal'enaste - An exclamation of pain, surprise, anger, frustration, etc _

_Seldo - Boy_

_Da'ashalen - (Literally: Little woman child) Little girl _

_Vea'en - Adults _

_Shemlen/Shems - (Literally: Quick children) Humans _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Aneth ara (Literally: My safe place) A sociable or friendly greeting, more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than with outsiders._

_Arlathan - (Literally: I love the place/Place that I love) The major city of elves, original homeland of the elves_

_Next up: Chapter 2:Sick_


	6. Chapter 2:Sick

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"The fact that we are living does not mean we are not sick."  
― Joseph Brodsky

**Chapter 2:Sick**

* * *

The darkness slowly began to vanish as Jade's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurry at first until she blinked a few times then her vision started to clear. A throbbing pain erupted in her head, making her groan as she brought up a trembling hand to massage her aching temples. She sat up, gasping when the attempted movement caused her body even more pain, and weakly pulled her knees to her chest, carefully allowing her chin to rest on her knees. Her body quivered uncontrollably as she let out a shaky breath to calm herself and some of the pain slowly started to go away.

Closing her eyes, she instantly remembered what had happened back at the ruins and her eyes opened widely in realization. She looked around her familiar surroundings, confirming that she was back at camp in one of the _aravels_. That much was obvious, but the real question was how did she get there? Memories of that strange _shem_ leaning over her flooded into her mind and she figured he'd probably been the one who'd returned her to camp, but what about Tamlen? Was he alright? Did the _shem_ find and bring him back as well? She hoped so.

It was a little while before the pain subsided enough for her to stand up, though her body still shook slightly as she made her way outside on clumsy feet. At the sound of her quiet groan of pain, Fenarel twisted around and gave a relieved smile when he saw her. The hunter hurried over to her, catching her by the arms before she could fall and helping her stand properly on her feet. Eventually, her body fully relaxed and the pain went away completely so she was finally able to stand up straight without her friend's assistance. Fenarel smiled, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"It's good to see you're awake." He said."You've the gods' own luck, _lethallan_."

"Fenarel," Jade breathed,", what happened to me? Where am I? Is Tamlen alright?"

Fenarel frowned."We're not sure. You're back at camp. A _shem_ brought you back here about two days ago."

"A human was here?" She asked.

"You don't remember him?" Fenarel queried with a frown.

"Maybe." She said with a shrug."Did he say who he was?"

"He said he was a Grey Warden who just appeared right out of nowhere with you slung over his shoulder." Fenarel explained."You were delirious with a fever. He claimed to have found you outside of some cave in the forest, unconscious and alone. The keeper's been using the old magic to heal you."

Jade quirked an eyebrow."The _shemlen_ was a Grey Warden?"

Fenarel nodded."That's what he claimed at least. He just left with most of the hunters almost an hour ago to look for Tamlen in that cave. I don't know when they're going to return, though."

'Tamlen,' Jade thought,', I hope they find him soon.'

"The keeper wanted to see you when you awoke." Fenarel said, letting go of her arms and turning away to leave."Wait here while I get her."

Jade sighed quietly and folded her arms over her chest, looking down at her feet as she waited for Keeper Marethari to come. She hoped the Grey Warden and the rest of the hunters would find Tamlen soon. Thoughts of that strange mirror filled her mind, making her shudder slightly. Why did Tamlen have to touch it? It was because of that stupid mirror that both of them could have probably been killed, yet his curiously had gotten the better of him and now, here she was, hoping that he was alright. She snapped back into reality at the sound of footsteps and looked up to see the keeper approaching her.

"I see you are awake, _da'len_." Keeper Marethari said with a small smile. The elderly mage had once been a beautiful young woman with light blonde hair and an easy smile and while her appearance wasn't at all grotesque, age had turned her once blonde hair grey and her skin slightly wrinkled. Jade had learned only a few years ago as a teenager that her father was the keeper before Marethari and had chosen the female elven mage as his first because of the obvious wisdom and love for her people she held that matched his own. Marethari remarked several times that Jade was much like her father in many ways, including the mercy she often showed to humans unlike most elves who preferred to shoot them on sight like Tamlen. After Jade's father was killed by humans and city elves, as Jade discovered from Ashalle barely two years ago, Marethari took over as keeper and continued to lead their clan ever since. Jade touched her father's old necklace that her mother had left for her before disappearing in grief over the death of her father. She hadn't wanted it at first, but eventually decided to wear it since it was all she had left of her parents as Ashalle made sure to remind her of several times.

"Keeper." Jade gave a curt nod of acknowledgement.

"It is fortunate that Duncan found you when he did." Marethari said."I know not what dark power held you, but it nearly bled the life out of you. It was difficult for even my magic to keep you alive."

"Does that mean Tamlen could be sick as well?" Jade asked worriedly.

"If he encountered the same thing you did, then yes." Marethari nodded."Duncan said he found you already stricken and alone outside a cave. He thought there might have been darkspawn creatures inside of the cave? Is this true, _da'len_?"

"I can't say for sure." Jade sighed and shrugged."What does a darkspawn even look like anyway?"

"Like a man," Marethari answered,", only dark and tainted with evil. Perhaps you fought one in the cave and it wounded you?" She suggested.

"N-No," Jade shook her head,", no, it was that mirror. I'm sure of it."

"A mirror caused all of this?" The keeper was taken aback."I cannot say that I have ever heard of such a thing before in all of the lore we have collected over the years." She heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose."I was hoping for some answers when you awoke, but all we have received are even more questions it seems. And Duncan is still with the hunters looking for Tamlen. If Tamlen is as sick as you were, then his condition must be grave. We can only hope that he will be found soon so I can heal him before the worst occurs."

Jade closed her eyes, praying silently to the goddess _Mythal _for herprotection of Tamlen until he could be found. She jumped slightly at the sudden sound of someone yelling and quickly spun around with wide eyes to see Duncan and the hunters returning to camp. A relieved smile spread across her face when she saw that with them, they were carrying an unconsciousness Tamlen.

"Thank the Creators!" Marethari exclaimed."They have found him!"

* * *

"What?" Jade and Tamlen said in unison about two days later. The two exchanged a look before turning with pleading expressions to Marethari.

"Tell me you're not really making us leave, keeper." Jade begged."I thought you said that you were able to heal us both."

"Only temporarily, I fear." Marethari said with a frown as she folded her arms over her chest and sighed."My magic was able to heal your wounds and keep you alive for a time, but only joining the Grey Wardens can truly prevent your untimely deaths."

"My order is in great need of help and you both are in need of a cure." Duncan chimed in."I hope that you two will join when I leave later tonight. The two of you would make excellent Grey Wardens. Of that, I have no doubt."

"Will we ever be able to return to the clan?" Jade asked.

"I am not sure, _da'len_." Marethari's shoulders slumped."But we cannot simply stand aside and watch you both die when Duncan and his order offer a way for you to survive."

"This is more than just charity on my part." Duncan said."I would not make this offer if I did not think either of you had the proper makings of Grey Wardens. Let me be clear; it is highly likely that neither of you will never be able to return to your clan. We go to fight the darkspawn at Ostagar, a battle that shall take us very far from here. But we need you two and others who are like you in order to defeat the darkspawn."

Marethari gave a reluctant nod."A great army of darkspawn is currently gathering in the south and a new blight now threatens the land. We cannot possibly outrun this storm. A very long time ago, our people made an agreement with the Grey Wardens that we would aid them during a blight. We must honor that agreement now. It breaks my heart to send you both away, but I could not live with myself if I simply let you die slowly from this sickness. This is more than just your duty, _da'lens_, as well as your salvation."

"If it is our duty," Jade said slowly,", then I agree."

Tamlen sighed."As do I."

"Come on then, _da'lens._" Marethari declared."Before the Creators guide you from us, let your clan embrace you once last time."

It was with a heavy heart that the two hunters reluctantly left with Duncan a few hours later, with nothing to remember their old lives and clan by but each other.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations: _

_Da'len - Little child__; to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Shem/Shemlen - Humans_

_Aravel - A wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships"_

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female) _

_Next up: Chapter 3:Responsibility _


	7. Chapter 3:Responsibility

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

" With adulthood comes responsibility."  
― Mary Lydon Simonsen, _The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy_

**Chapter 3:Responsibility**

* * *

There were many days when Castle Cousland was bustling with activity, but this day in particular, was very different from those other days. Today was the last day before a great majority of Highever's troops left to fight alongside King Cailan's armies in Ostagar against the darkspawn. Teryn Bryce Cousland and his son, Fergus, were to accompany their men to Ostagar, much to the indignation of Valerie Cousland, though she hid it well as she already knew that her father would just start telling her about how she was needed at home more than she was on the battlefield. He wasn't exactly wrong, but that still didn't mean she refused to be sulky about it in private.

Having just been in the middle of a practice season with her daggers, the young rogue was dressed in light armor and boots while her long, luscious, blonde hair hung against her back in a nice enough fat braid. Her father had sent one of the servants to inform her that he wished to see his daughter in the Great Hall at once. As she entered the Great Hall and leaned against the doorway, her hazel eyes narrowed at the sight of her father looking into the fireplace as he conversed with his longtime friend, Arl Rendon Howe. In truth, Valerie never liked the man much; he was cocky, rude, annoying, and uglier than a rat just like his youngest son Thomas. His two oldest children Nathaniel and Delilah, however, were very good friends of hers who she hadn't seen in awhile and missed dearly. She folded her arms over her chest as she listened to the two men speak with each other, both of them oblivious of her presence.

"I trust then, that your troops will be here shortly?" Bryce asked.

"I expect them to begin arriving sometime later tonight and then we can both march tomorrow." Howe responded, looking down."I apologize for the delay, milord. This entirely my fault."

Valerie smirked.'Yes, yes it is.' She frowned when her father turned to look at Howe and shook his head.

"No, no," He assured him,", it seems that the appearance of the darkspawn in the south has everyone scrambling, doesn't it? I only received the call from the king a few days ago myself."

Valerie cocked her head to the side at the mention of King Cailan. She had met him a few times during royal balls thrown by either him or her father. His wife, Queen Anora,was also a good friend of hers. The two of them had originally met several years back during one of the landsmeets at which both of theirs father had taken them to as young teenagers. Anora's father was none other than Teryn Loghain Mac Tir, the hero of River Dane. He was a hero to the people of Ferelden, but much like she did for Howe, Valerie contained little to no trust in him at all. It had been nearly three months since she last saw the king and queen of Ferelden, but she did occasionally exchange letters with Anora whenever either of them could. For the moment, they both seemed well enough.

"I will send Fergus off with my men," Bryce continued, walking over to Howe and clasping a hand over his shoulder."Then you and I can ride tomorrow, just like the old days."

"True," Howe nodded,", though we both had much less gray in our hair then and we were fighting Orlesians, not...monsters."

Bryce gave a chuckle."At least the smell will be the same."

Pushing off the doorway, Valerie sighed and cleared her throat to get their attention. The two men turned to face her as she approached, Bryce giving his daughter an apologetic smile for not noticing her presence at first."I'm sorry pup; I didn't see you there. Howe, do you remember my daughter, Valerie?"

"I see she's become a lovely young woman." Howe's reply nearly made her roll her eyes at him, but she kept a straight face for her father's sake."Pleased to see you again my, dear."

Valerie gave a fake, sweet smile and nodded respectfully."And you, Arl Howe."'

"My son Thomas asked after you. Perhaps I should bring him with me next time."

Valerie literally choked on her own breath, gasping for air and hazel eyes going wide. He wasn't actually being serious, was he? Unable to hide her reaction, she gave him a very stony look and crossed her arms over her chest again."To what end?!" She demanded.

To her surprise and rage, Howe laughed."To what end, she says! So glib too! She's just like her mother when she talks like that!"

'Excuse me?!' She screamed in her head, eyebrow raised.

"Do you see what I contend with, Howe?" Bryce sighed."There is absolutely no telling my fierce girl anything these days! Maker bless her heart!"

"Quite talented, I'm sure." Valerie couldn't help but raise a suspicious eyebrow at Howe's comment."One to watch." She scoffed quietly, rolling her eyes.

"At any rate, pup, I summoned you for a reason." As usual, Bryce got right back to the point."While Fergus and I are both away, I'm leaving you in charge of the castle."

Ah, so **this** was why she wasn't allowed to go with to them to battle. Well, at least he trusted her with leadership. It was better than nothing, she supposed."I'll do my best, Father." She said with a nod.

Bryce smiled."Now that's what I like to hear. Only a token force is remaining here and you must keep peace in the region. You know what they say about mice when the cat is away, yes?"

"Yes, Father." She murmured, nodding again.

"There are also some people who you should meet." He turned to one of the guards."Please, show them in."

Valerie was just about to question as to who these visitors were when she spotted them entering and almost instantly, her hazel eyes widened. On the right was a beautiful female elf with raven-colored hair flowing down her shoulders and a nice pair of light blue eyes. To the left was a handsome blonde male elf. Judging by their tattoos, they appeared to be Dalish. But it was the guest in the middle who caught her attention most of all. He was a tall, dark-skinned, broad human man with a beard. She could tell by the insignia on his unique white armor that he was a Grey Warden.

"It is an honor to be a guest within your hall, Teryn Cousland." The Grey Warden said with a polite nod. The two elves both nodded as well, but said nothing.

"Your lordship!" Howe gasped."You didn't mention a Grey Warden and two Dalish would be present."

"Duncan and his two latest recruits, Jade and Tamlen, all just arrived here recently; unannounced." Bryce raised an eyebrow."Is there a problem?"

"Of course not!" Howe said quickly."But guests of this stature demand certain poetical. I am...at a disadvantage."

"We rarely have the pleasure of seeing any in person, that's for sure." Bryce cast a glance at his daughter."Valerie, Brother Aldous has taught you who the Grey Wardens and Dalish are, I hope?"

Valerie nodded eagerly."The Dalish elves are noble wanderers who travel the land in tightly knit clans. I've heard a lot of stories about them being wild savages, but personally I think they're just exaggerated on most people's parts." She beamed a little at the elven girl's apparent nod of approval and turned to Duncan."As for the Grey Wardens, didn't they defeat the darkspawn long ago?"

"Not permanently, I fear." Duncan said grimly.

"Without their warning of the darkspawn rising now, half the nation could have already been overrun before we even had the slightest chance to react. Duncan has come here to look for some more recruits before joining us and his fellow wardens in the south. I believe he's got his eye on Ser Gilmore." The Teryn explained.

'Lucky knight.' Valerie thought, stifling a sigh.

Duncan cleared his throat."If I may be so bold, I would suggest that your daughter over here is also an excellent candidate."

Valerie beamed when she heard this, but her face fell when her father suddenly took up a protective stance in front of his daughter, looking rather hostile toward the Grey Warden.

"Honor though that might be, this is my daughter we're taking about." He stated.

"I think I rather like the idea, Father." Valerie said, crossing her arms. She was ignored.

"I've not so many children that I'll gladly see them all off into battle." Bryce said to Duncan."Unless you intend to invoke the Right of Conscription...?" He raised an almost challenging eyebrow at Duncan as if daring him to respond.

"Have no fear." Duncan said calmly as he put his hands up."While we do need as many good recruits as we can find, I've no intention of forcing the issue."

'You've got to be kidding me!' Valerie thought. She could've sworn she saw the Dalish girl roll her eyes and resisted the urge to do so herself.

Seemingly relaxed by Duncan's assurance, Bryce nodded and turned back to his daughter."Pup, can you see to it that all of Duncan and his recruits' requests are seen to while I'm gone?"

"Don't strain my abilities or anything." Valerie said bitterly with a scoff.

"And don't strain my patience!" He snapped then sighed."In the meantime, find Fergus and tell him to lead the troops ahead of me to Ostagar. We'll talk soon."

"No." Valerie said coldly, shaking her head."We **won't**."

She then spun around on her heel and stomped out of the room.

* * *

Valerie grumbled to herself as she made her way outside, feeling pique that her father refused to let her speak for herself in front of Duncan and treated her like she was still a little girl. How dare he keep her from doing what she'd always dreamed off? One minute she was old enough to be left in charge of the castle in his absence, but too young to speak for herself the next? She was so busy fuming that she hardly even noticed a certain red-haired knight until she nearly bumped into him and he caught her arms to keep her from falling.

"There you are!" He breathed."I had heard the Teryn summoned you so I didn't want to interrupt."

Valerie sighed."Hello to you too, Ser Gilmore."

The knight blushed."Please pardon my abruptness, milady. It's simply the fact that I have been literally looking everywhere for you." He jabbed his thumb behind him."I fear your hound has the kitchens in uproar."

"Again." Valerie said dryly.'Oh, Leonard...'

"Nan is threatening to leave." He continued.

"Again." She repeated, crossing her arms and sighing."I guess I should go collect him then."

"That would be wise." Ser Gilmore nodded, looking like he was trying very hard not to laugh his head off."Before Nan tears down the walls. But before we go, milady, I have heard from numerous people that there is a Grey Warden present with two of his latest recruits. Is that true?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is." She couldn't hide her slightly amused smile at how excited and nervous he sounded.

"I see. And is it also true that the Grey Warden is interested in recruiting me?" Her smile grew wider at his hesitant question and she gave a small nod.

"My father even put in a good word for you."

"Me? A Grey Warden! Maker's breath, are you certain of this?" The knight exclaimed then quickly composed himself, looking embarrassed."Of course I shouldn't get ahead of myself. Pardon my outburst."

"It's alright, Ser Gilmore." She assured him, putting a hand up and sighing again."We should probably go and deal with that dog of mine now."

"Just follow the yelling." He smirked."When Nan's unhappy, she makes sure everyone else knows it."

"Tell me something I don't know." Valerie muttered, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

* * *

For about the third time that week, Valerie entered the larder with Ser Gilmore and could instantly hear the very familiar sounds of a dog barking and a woman shouting. Nan was busy yelling at two elven servants when they came in and so she didn't notice them at first. To say that the elderly cook was livid would be just a bit of an understatement.

"One of you get that bloody mutt out of the larder!" Nan shouted at the elves.

"But, mistress!" The female elf protested."It won't let us anywhere near!"

"If I cannot get into that larder, I'll skin both of you useless elves, I swear it!" Nan growled, shaking her head furiously.

"Um, calm down good woman, we're here to help!" Ser Gilmore said.

Nan twisted around, her eyes bloodshot with uncontrollable anger as she pointed at the knight then at Valerie."You! And you! This is the third time this week that your bloody mongrel has gotten into my larder, Valerie! That beast should be put down!"

'Here we go again.' Valerie sighed."I'm very sorry that he's been bothering you Nan." She smiled softly as she spoke in a gentle tone that always seemed to calm the cranky old woman down since she was still a little girl.

"Just get him gone already." Nan said, calming down a little."I've enough to worry about with a caste full of hungry soldiers." She glared dangerously at the elven servants."Stop standing there like idiots, you two! Get out of the way!"

* * *

"Look at that mess." See Gilmore shook his head and sighed."How did he even get in here in the first place?"

They found Leonard sniffing around the larder and growling into a corner. The sound of the door opening and closing behind them caused the dog to cast a glance in their direction. He let out a whine and rushed to his mistress, grabbing her sleeve with his teeth and desperately trying to drag her toward the corner he'd just growled at only a moment ago. She pulled her gloved wrist away and knelt beside him, gently petting him on the head to calm him as he whined again then growled once more at the corner.

"Are you trying to tell me something, boy?" She asked quietly, frowning when he gave an apparent nod and tried dragging her toward the corner again. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ser Gilmore came over to kneel beside them and tilted his head in thought.

"He does seem like he's trying to tell you something." Leonard barked as if in agreement and nudged Valerie to make her stand up as he led her into the corner. Another bark escaped him just as a very unfamiliar soft screeching sound was heard. Ser Gilmore grabbed Valerie's shoulder, causing her to turn and face him with an equally perplexed look crossing her features. For a moment, everything was silent, then the source of that strange sound suddenly became clear to both of them.

"Rats!" Valerie yelled in shock as Leonard started barking and growling again. Despite being quite a lot of them, the rats were easy enough to deal with, especially because of Leonard's dangerously sharp teeth making it very easy to rip their tiny heads off. Ser Gilmore let out a sigh, shaking his head as what had just happened finally sunk in.

"Giant rats?" He asked himself aloud."It's just like the start of every bad adventure tale my grandfather always used to tell. Your hound must've chased them all in through their holes. Looks like he wasn't really raiding the larder after all."

"It certainly seems that way." Valerie said with a smile as she scratched a panting Leonard's ears and laughed when he licked her. That was when Nan practically kicked the door open, her expression a mask of pure rage and eyes going completely wide at the sight of headless dead rats and blood everywhere.

"Rats!" The two elven servants shrieked.

"What happened here?!" Nan screamed. Rather than reply, Valerie grabbed Ser Gilmore's arm and said,"Run for it."

Following after them, Leonard barked loudly as they practically shoved past Nan and the servants before quickly fleeing the kitchen.

* * *

_I hope you all like this chapter. Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Next up: Chapter 4:Goodbyes and Helloes _


	8. Chapter 4:Goodbyes and Helloes

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it. **

* * *

"for every goodbye, God also provides a hello"  
― Donna Gable Hatch

**Chapter 4:Goodbyes and Helloes**

* * *

Having just fled the larder with Leonard and Ser Gilmore, Valerie was now on her way to Fergus's quarters with her often irksome yet also very loyal and lovable hound right by her side since Ser Gilmore left to prepare for the arrival of more of Arl Howe's men. The blonde rogue hummed quietly to herself as she walked down the path and stroked Leonard's head affectionally, unable to keep from smiling when he barked happily each time. Looking up, she suddenly stopped right in her tracks and gave a very sarcastic sigh at the sight of her mother standing right in front of the way to Fergus's chambers talking and laughing with some of her friends.

"Oh, wonderful," She said sarcastically with the shake of her head,", more guests."

Leonard panted and whined, rubbing his head against his mistress's leg. She looked down at him and moaned, running a hand over her face before reluctantly making her way toward her mother. Because she was in the middle of babbling about some past event, Eleanor did not notice her daughter approaching and Valerie listened in to what her mother was saying with a small smirk of amusement.

"...and my husband Bryce brought this back from Orlais last year. From what I understand, the marquis who gave it to him was quite drunk and apparently mistook Bryce for the king." The Teryna chuckled lightly and then noticed Valerie trotting over to them, still smirking."Ah, and here comes my lovely daughter. I take it by the presence of that troublesome hound of yours that the situation in the kitchen has been handled?"

"Yes, Mother." Valerie said, biting her lip hard to hold back her laughter."Nan is back to work as we speak."

Nodding, Eleanor sighed in relief."Good, you've always had a way with her." She then smiled politely and gestured toward the woman standing next to her."Darling, you remember Lady Landra, Bann Loren's wife."

'Unfortunately, I do.' Valerie said in her head.

"I believe we last met at your mother's spring salon." Lady Landra said.

"Of course." Valerie put on a fake smile."It's so good to see you again, milady."

'No, it isn't!' A voice in her head shouted.

"You're too kind dear girl." Landra blushed."Didn't I spend half the salon trying to convince you to marry my son?"

"And made a very poor case for it, I might add." Dairren scowled, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at his mother.

"Do you remember my son, Dairren?" Landra asked with an almost teasing smile."He's not married yet either."

Dairren rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms, giving Valerie an apologetic smile."Don't listen to her, milady. It's good to see you again. You're looking as beautiful as ever."

"Flatterer." Valerie teased.

"And this is my lady-in-waiting, Iona." Landra gestured toward a pretty blonde elven woman standing quietly behind Dairren."Do say something please, dear."

"It is a great pleasure, milady." Iona said with a sweet smile."You are as pretty as your mother describes."

Eleanor sighed."You would think that would make it easier to find a match for her, but it's actually more difficult."

"Perhaps your daughter simply has a mind of her own, your ladyship." Dairren said in defense of Valerie, who gave him a grateful smile in return."You should be proud."

Eleanor huffed, crossing her arms."Well proud doesn't exactly get me anymore children, now does it?"

"I can handle my own affairs, thank you." Valerie said coldly.

Eleanor scoffed."All evidence to the contrary."

'Maker, I hate this woman sometimes!' Valerie growled in her head.

Landra cleared her throat awkwardly."I think perhaps I shall rest now, my dear. Dairren, I will see you and Iona at supper."

Dairren nodded."Perhaps we'll retire to the study for now, Iona." The elf gave a small nod of agreement as she followed after Dairren.

"Good evening, your ladyship." Landra said to Eleanor before taking her leave. Eleanor slowly came closer to her daughter.

"You should say goodbye to Fergus while you still have the chance, Valerie." She said, looking a little sad and worried.

"I have a bad feeling about all of this this, Mother." Valerie said quietly.

"As do I." The Teryna nodded."Your father and brother are both marching off to fight Maker knows what and all the assurances in the world don't comfort me. But it wouldn't help for us to simply take up arms and fight. Each of us has our duty and yours and mine are here as it would seem."

"Will you be staying at the castle?"

"For a few days. Then I will travel with Lady Landra back to her estate and keep her company for a time. Your father feels my presence here might undermine your authority."

Valerie frowned, looking down."I don't think you should go."

"Don't worry, my dear." Eleanor patted her lightly on the cheek."It won't be long."

Valerie nodded."I should go."

"I love you, my darling girl. You know that, don't you?"

"I love you too, Mother."

* * *

"Will there really be a war, Papa?" Oren asked."Will you bring me back a sward?"

Chuckling, Fergus knelt in front of his son."That's sword, Oren. And yes, I promise I'll bring you bacl the most mightiest one I can find. You can count on it. I'll be back before you know it."

"I wish victory was indeed so certain." Oriana sniffed, her voice slightly muffled by the tissue she held to wipe away her tears."My heart is...disquiet."

"Don't frighten the boy, love." Fergus stood up to take his wife into his arms and hug her to him."I speak the truth." He kissed her and did not notice Valerie sauntering into the room with Leonard on her heels while Oren made a disgusted little noise at his parents. Rolling her eyes, Valerie picked up her nephew in her arms with a small grunt and cleared her throat to get her brother and sister-in-law's attention. They both jumped slightly in surprise and separated as Oren and Valerie both snickered.

"You two are nauseating us." Valerie quipped dryly.

"When there's a man in your life, you'll understand." Fergus replied with a roll of hid eyes.

"I think we both know that's never going to happen."

"Mark my words little sister, one day you'll find someone who can handle your, ahem, personality."

"Oh, stow it, Fergus." She rolled her eyes at him and lowered her head with a sigh."I wish I could go with you."

"Me too, sister." Fergus nodded."It'll be hard killing all of those darkspawn on my own."

"In Antiva, it would be unthinkable for a woman to fight in battle." Oriana stated.

"Is that so?" Fergus quirked an eyebrow."I always heard that Antivan women were quite dangerous."

"With kindness and poison only, my husband." She teased.

"Interesting choice of words from the woman who serves me my tea." Fergus said with a snort.

Valerie rolled her eyes again."Did you know there's a Grey Warden here in the castle with two of his elven recruits?"

"Really?!" Oren asked, shifting slightly in his aunt's arms."Was he riding a griffon? And did the elves have pointy ears?"

Oriana shushed him."Griffons only exist in stories now, Oren." She paused briefly."And elves wouldn't elves if they didn't have pointy ears." She shrugged lightly.

"I heard about that." Fergus said with nod."Did he say why he's come?"

"He's looking for some more recruits." Valerie answered.

"Oh? If I were a Grey Warden, Val, I'd definitely have my eye on you." He gave a quick cough."Not that Father would ever allow it."

Valerie snorted, rolling her eyes."Of course he wouldn't. I thought he was going to have a heart attack when the Grey Warden dared to express any interest in me." She gave a small sigh."You'll be missed, Brother."

Fergus smirked."If it's any consolation, I'm sure I'll freeze to death in the southern rain and be completely jealous of you up here, all safe and warm."

"I am positively thrilled to hear that you will be suffering so terribly, my husband." Oriana said sarcastically.

Valerie snickered."Speaking of fighting, Father wants you to lead the troops ahead of him to Ostagar."

Fergus sighed."Then the arl's men **are** delayed. Sometimes, it feels like they're all just walking backwards." He wasn't exactly fond of Arl Howe either, but like Valerie, he acted respectful and friendly enough for their father's fake."Well then I'd better get underway. So many darkspawn to behead and so little time to do so. Off we go then, I'll see you soon, my love."

"I'd hoped dear boy, that'd you'd at least planned to wait for us before taking your leave." Bryce said as he and Eleanor entered the room.

"Be well, my son." Eleanor said to Fergus."I will pray for your safety every day you are gone."

"Oh, knock it off, Mother." Valerie rolled her eyes, annoyed with how everyone was fretting so much over her brother."Fergus will be fine."

"I keep telling you nothing will happen." Fergus said."No darkspawn can possibly best me."

"Maker sustain and preserve us all." Oriana whispered in prayer."Watch over our sons, husband, and fathers and bring them safely back to us."

"And bring us some ale and wenches while you're at it." Fergus added, making Valerie groan."For the men, of course."

"Fergus!" Oriana yelled."You would say this in front of your mother?"

"You obviously don't know who you're talking to, sister." Valerie retorted."This is **Fergus** we're talking about, after all."

"What's a wench?" Oren asked curiously, hugging Valerie by the neck."Is that what you pull on to get the bucket out of the well?"

"Andraste's arse, wait a go Fergus!" Valerie exclaimed sarcastically.

"A wench is a woman who pours the ale in a tavern, Oren." Bryce answered."Or a woman who just drinks a lot of ale."

"Bryce!" Eleanor growled, hitting him upside the head."Maker's breath, it's like living with a pair of small boys. Thankfully, I have a daughter."

"I'll miss you, Mother dear." Fergus laughed, hugging her."You'll take care of her won't you, Val?"

"You can count on me." Valerie said with sly smile.

"Oh good!" The Teryna quipped sarcastically."How thrilling to know I'm so well taken care of!"

"Enough, enough." Bryce chortled, putting his hands up."Let us just enjoy these last few moments we have together before Fergus and I have left."

Oren poked Valerie's arm for attention and she looked down at him with a raised eyebrow."Mama says you'll be taking care of us while Papa is gone. Is that true, Auntie?"

Valerie groaned."I **really** wish you wouldn't call me that, Oren."

"By you're my auntie!" He gave a cute little grin."What else would I call you, silly?"

"Your aunt probably thinks it makes her sound old, Oren." Oriana said with a smirk.

"But she **is** old, Mama." Oren replied with frown that quickly became a grin again."But definitely not as old as you."

Oriana scowled, punching her husband in the shoulder."This is **your** influence, Fergus."

"What?!" Fergus cried, rubbing his now aching shoulder."I didn't say anything."

"Are you going to teach me how to use a sword, Auntie?" Oren asked."Then I can fight evil too!" He waved his hands around playfully."Take that you dire bunny! All darkspawn fear my sword of truthiness!"

"You bet I will!" Valerie said cheerfully.

Oriana groaned."Fergus, there are times when your family, especially your sister, cause me **great** pain."

"And there are times when you cause me **great** boredom, sister." Valerie repsponded dryly as she ran out of the room cheering happily with Oren still in her arms and Leonard on her heels.

"No wait, stop!" Oriana cried, chasing after them with Eleanor while Fergus and Bryce nearly fell over laughing."Valerie!"

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave conductive criticism, but no flames!_

_Chapter 5:Betrayal _


	9. Chapter 5:Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first."  
― Suzanne Collins, _The Hunger Games_

**Chapter 5:Betrayal**

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The sound of barking and growling rang through the blonde's ears as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up in bed with a yawn. She rubbed at her eyes sleepily, blinking several times as the barking and growling continued. It was then that she noticed Leonard standing dangerously in front of the door growling and looking like he was ready to pounce on someone. He turned sharply to his perplexed mistress and nodded toward the door as if he was trying to warn her about something.

"What is it, boy?" Valerie asked, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself as she walked over to the door and pressed her ear to it. It almost sounded like there was some kind of fighting or arguing happening on the other side of the door. Lowering her eyes, she put a finger to her lips as a sign for Leonard to be quiet and continued listening in for another minute before turning away to get dressed. Just then, the door burst open and she was knocked to the floor as a servant rushed inside, looking scared out of his mind.

"Help me, milady!" He cried."The castle is under attack-"

Valerie's hazel eyes widened as an arrow hit the poor servant in the back and she rolled aside to avoid his body falling on top of her. The archer who had shot him soon turned his bow on her as three swordsmen also ran into the room. Leonard barked loudly and pounced on the archer, ignoring his loud screams of agony as the dog's razor sharp teeth dug into the skin of his throat like a tiger's fangs. He was dead within seconds and soon Leonard was also making quick work of one of the swordsmen in order to protect his mistress.

One of the other swordsmen grabbed Valerie by the ankle as she tried to crawl toward her chest full of weapons and armor and roughly yanked her back. Raising her leg, Valerie kicked him right in the nose and then kicked out his legs. She rolled away from the other swordsmen's blade as it struck the floor where her head once was and balled her hand into a tight fist before punching him in the face. With both men momentarily distracted, she hurried over to her chest and quickly retrieved her armor and weapons.

The two men soon recovered and charged at her. She ducked away from the first man's blade and threw one of her daggers at him, smirking when it landed right between his eyes and killed him instantly. Letting out a yell, the second man swung his sword at her neck and she blocked it with her dagger. He tried to grab her, but the blonde rogue turned around and thrust her braid in his face, briefly catching him off guard and giving her just enough time to retrieve her other dagger from the dead man's face. She put two fingers in her mouth and let out a whistle, pointing at the remaining swordsman. Leonard growled obediently and pounced on him, killing the struggling man swiftly but painfully.

Valerie quickly put on her armor and grabbed her weapons before heading into the hallway where three more men were already waiting for her. Leonard immediately tackled one of the men and mauled him to death. Valerie spun out of the way from one man's sword, using her daggers to parry and counter his attacks while dodging another man's blade as he aimed for her neck. She twirled around her daggers, thrusting them both at the man closest to her. He gave a yelp as the blades unexpectedly sliced into his arm and fell to the floor after receiving a powerful kick to the head.

The other man swung his sword at Valerie's legs, evoking a squeal from her as she barely jumped aside in time and rolled away when he aimed his sword for her head. A small grunt came from Valerie as she managed to raise her leg and kick his sword out of his grasp. He hurried to retrieve it, but Valerie swept her leg across his, knocking him to the floor and then pinned him down with her foot. She picked up her fallen daggers and plunged them into his back, his blood splattering all over her face and armor as he let out a loud cry before death took him.

An arrow suddenly zipped past her face, leaving a small cut on her cheek. She turned around to see another archer aiming for her, but before he could fire again, someone's else arrow hit him in between the shoulder blades. As he fell, Valerie looked up and saw Jade had been the to put him down, the huntress lowering her bow and raising her head at Valerie as Eleanor ran to her daughter.

"Darling!" The Teryna cried, throwing her arms around her daughter."We heard fighting outside and feared the worst. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mother." Valerie assured her."But what's going on?! One of the servants told me the castle was under attack."

"A scream woke me up." Eleanor explained."There were men in the hall, so I barred the door to hold them back for a time. If it wasn't for Jade coming when she did, they'd have already killed me."

Valerie turned to the elf."Jade, what happened? Where's Duncan?"

"I don't know." Jade said worriedly."Duncan wasn't in his room and I got separated from Tamlen before I found your mother."

"Did you see their shields?" Eleanor asked."Those are Howe's men! Why would they attack us?"

"It seems your father's old friend has decided to take advantage of the castle's nearly defenseless state and attack you when you least expect it." Jade said grimly."Looks as though you've been betrayed, your ladyship."

Eleanor gasped."You don't think Howe's men were delayed...on purpose? Why that treacherous bastard! I'll cut his lying throat myself when I see him!" She looked around frantically."Have you seen your father, Valerie? He never came to bed last night."

"What is he stayed up with Arl Howe?" Valerie whispered, trembling with worry.

"We must find him!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"I might also suggest checking up on your brother's wife and son as well." Jade said.

"Oh no, what if those men went into Fergus's room first?!" The Teryna panicked.

Jade ran over to Fergus's door, using an arrow to pick the lock then kicked it open as Valerie and Eleanor rushed inside. The sight before them was completely appalling; Oriana lay motionless on the floor, eyes open and wide with horror as a dagger stuck out of her chest and an arrow from her leg most likely to keep her from trying to run, and Oren was surrounded in a pool of his own blood, arrows having penetrated his neck and chest. Eleanor fell to her knees beside her grandson's stiff, shaking and sobbing quietly in grief.

"No! My little Oren!" She sobbed into her hands."What matter of fiend slaughters innocents?!"

"_Mythal_ have mercy on these poor souls." Jade whispered, shutting her eyes tightly and shaking her head.

Valerie clenched her fists as she knelt down next to Oriana and gently closed her sister-in-law's eyes."I'll make him pay for this." She growled.

"Howe's not even bothering to take any hostages." Eleanor said."He just wants to kill all of us. Oh poor Fergus, let's go, I can't bear to see this."

As she stood up to leave, Valerie noticed Jade's hands were folded and her gaze faced the floor like was offering some sort of silent prayer for Oren and Oriana. The raven-haired elf looked up, eyes narrowing as she gave a small nod that Valerie returned before exiting the room. They made sure to check on Lady Landra, Dairren, and Iona, but all three of them were already dead. Jade also mentioned passing by Nan's arrow-filled stiff before she found Eleanor while Brother Aldous and Mother Mallol didn't make it either.

With Leonard on their heels, the three women took down more of Howe's men and hurried down the corridor, unable to miss the sounds of fighting between Howe's soldiers and what little troops remained in the castle. Eleanor came to a stop, putting a hand over her mouth to hold back a sob over everything that was happening.

"Can you hear the fighting?" She asked, obviously still in shock."Howe's men must literally be everywhere!"

"Any ideas as to what we should do then?" Jade queried.

"The front gates!" The Teryna exclaimed."That's where Bryce must be!"

"And if he isn't?" Jade questioned.

Eleanor was silent for a moment, lowering her head as if in deep thought about something before looking back up with an urgent look on her face. She took Valerie by the shoulders and locked eyes with her."Listen to me, darling. We haven't much time. If we cannot find your father then you and Jade must get out of here alive. Without you and Fergus, the entire Cousland line dies here and if Howe's men are inside, then that must mean they already control the castle."

"How do we get out of here?" Valerie asked.

"We must use the servant's exit in the larder." Eleanor replied. She turned briefly to Jade, her expression a silent plea."If anything happens..."

Jade nodded."I'll make sure get out of here safely, your ladyship."

Eleanor nodded and turned back to Valerie."Do you hear me, Valerie? You must get out of here alive."

Valerie hesitated, but nodded."Yes, Mother. I hear you."

"Good." Eleanor said."Then let us be swift."

* * *

"The castle has fallen!" A terrified servant yelled as he ran up from behind a corner."I'm getting out of here!"

"No, wait!" Valerie cried, but the servant was already starting to flee when a lightning bolt suddenly struck him in the back and he fell dead to the floor. A female mage slowly sauntered into view, smirking at the three women after having killed the servant. The mage tapped her staff against the floor and raised a hand toward the ceiling as she used the Tempest spell, electrocuting both Jade and Valerie and knocking them both to the floor. Leonard barked angrily and pounced on the mage, trying to bite the skin of her throat for harming his mistress. The mage electrocuted him with another lightning spell and swatted him aside with her staff. She turned her attention to Eleanor, who was trying to help Valerie get up and in response, Jade quickly rolled to her feet and retrieved her bow. She shouted, grabbing the mage's attention, and shot an arrow in between the mage's eyes, killing her instantly.

"We must get the family sword from the treasury!" Eleanor said urgently.

"Then we'd better hurry." Jade stated.

* * *

They eventually found Ser Gilmore shouting orders to several of his men as they struggled to keep the doors closed. Valerie and Eleanor quickly rushed to him while Jade grabbed Leonard by the collar to keep him from following. She knelt down next to the dog, hearing him whimper as he leaned against her in sadness. Ser Gilmore whipped around to face mother and daughter as they approached, his expression that of obvious relief.

"Your ladyship, milady!" He cried."Thank goodness you're both still alive! I was certain Howe's men had gotten through!"

"They **did** get through." Jade stated, standing up and walking over to them with Leonard behind her.

"They killed Oren and Oriana." Eleanor murmured sadly."Ser Gilmore, are you injured?"

"Don't worry about me, your ladyship." The knight assured her."I'm just glad that you two are unharmed."

"Howe, that treacherous bastard!" Valerie growled.

"When I realized what was happening, it was all I could do to shut the gates, but they won't keep Howe's men out for long. If you have another way out of the way, then I suggest you use it quickly."

"Have you seen my father?" Valerie asked.

"When I last saw the Teryn, he'd been badly wounded. I urged him not to go, but he was simply determined to find you and your mother. I saw him go towards the kitchen, most likely to find you at the servant's exit in the larder."

"Come with us!" Valerie pleaded.

"Go with the Teryna and Lady Cousland, Roland!" One of the injured men urged as he struggled to keep the door closed before the knight could protest."You need to protect them! We're already injured and we'll die anyway! Just go and keep them safe!"

Jade could see the hesitation in Ser Gilmore's light green eyes as he obviously didn't want to leave his men behind, but the pleading look on Valerie's face as well as his fellow knight's urging him to leave forced him to agree. He nodded tersely and followed after them after sparing a small glance of both regret and sorrow toward his men.

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Eleanor and Valerie burst into the larder, looking all around for Bryce and praying he was alright while Leonard, Jade, and Ser Gilmore barely managed to catch up with them

"There...you both are." A weak voice said."I was...wondering when you'd get here..."

"Bryce!" Eleanor gasped, rushing to his side. The Teryn was clutching onto his side, bleeding badly and hardly breathing."Maker's blood, what's happening?! You're bleeding!"

"Howe's men.." He managed to croak."...found me first...almost did me in right there."

"Why is he doing this?!" Valerie sobbed as Ser Gilmore knelt beside her.

"He can't get away with this..." The Teryn growled."The king will...ugh."

"Bryce, we must get you out of here." Eleanor stated.

"I...won't survive the standing, I think." He shook his head.

"That's true!" Valerie protested."You'll be fine! Just get up!"

"Oh, my darling girl..." Bryce gazed lovingly at his daughter."If only your will alone could help make it so."

"Once Howe's men break through the gates, they will find us." Eleanor said."We must leave quickly!"

"Someone must reach Fergus." He whispered."Tell him what has happened."

"You can tell him yourself." Valerie growled.

"I...wish I could." He wheezed.

"Bryce, no!" Eleanor shook his arm desperately."The servants' passage is right here. We can all flee together and find you healing magic."

"The castle is surrounded." He lowered his head."I cannot make it."

"I'm afraid the Teryn is correct." Duncan said as he sheathed his sword and entered the larder with Tamlen right behind him. Jade hurried over to Tamlen and buried her head in his chest as Duncan knelt down next to the Couslands."Howe's men have not yet discovered this exit, but they surrounded the castle and getting past them will be very difficult."

"You are Duncan, yes?" Eleanor asked."The Grey Warden?"

"Yes, your ladyship." Duncan said with a nod."The Teryn, Tamlen, and I tried to reach you sooner."

"My daughter and your other recruit Jade help get here." She explained."Maker be praised."

"I am not surprised." Duncan's eyes briefly flickered toward Jade but his full attention was on Valerie.

"Are you doing to help us, Duncan?" Valerie queried.

"Whatever you plan to do, it must be quick before they get here!" Eleanor said urgently.

"Duncan, I beg you..." Bryce wheezed."Take my wife and daughter to safety."

"I will, your lordship." The Grey Warden nodded."But I must ask you something in return first."

"Anything." The Teryn promised.

"What is happening here now pales greatly in comparison to the evil now loose in the world. I came to your castle looking for more recruits and the darkspawn threat demands that I do so."

"I...understand."

"Are you talking about me?" Valerie cut in

"You all fought your way through Howe's men. I believe the Maker's intentions are clear. I will take the Teryna and your daughter to safety at Ostagar, your lordship, to tell your son and King Cailan what happened. Then, your daughter and Ser Gilmore both join the Grey Wardens."

Bryce gave a weak nod."So long as Howe receives justice... then I agree."

Duncan turned to Valerie and Ser Gilmore."Then I offer the two of you a place to fight with us within the Grey Wardens."

"I accept your offer." Valerie answered quickly.

"As do I." Ser Gilmore nodded.

"Bryce, are you...sure?" Eleanor queried.

"Our daughter will not die of Howe's treachery." The Teryn stated."She will live and make her mark on the world."

"Darling, go with Duncan then." Eleanor lowered her head sadly."You have a much better chance to escape without me."

"Eleanor-" Bryce protested.

"Hush, Bryce." She told him."I will kill every single bastard that tries to through that door, but I will not abandon you."

"I love you both so much." Valerie said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Then live, darling." Eleanor hugged her briefly."Become a Grey Warden and do what is right."

A loud banging sound suddenly rang out and instantly everyone knew Howe's men had finally gotten through. Duncan grabbed Valerie by the arm."We must go, they've broken through the gates."

Valerie nodded slightly, feeling Ser Gilmore squeeze her hand gently as they fled. She gave one last heartbroken look at her parents as a single tear ran down her cheek before leaving. Eleanor hugged Bryce tightly to her, waiting for a few minutes until an axe hit the larder door and she slowly released him. They exchanged small nods and Eleanor slowly drew her bow, waiting for the door to finally be knocked down before she let her arrow fly.

She took down at least twenty or thirty of them, but in the end gave into her exhaustion and fell to her knees, not even bothering to defend herself as one of the men kicked her across the floor and all Bryce could do was watch. An evil chuckle was heard from the doorway as none other than Rendon himself sauntered into the room, smirking evilly at the scowling Eleanor and Bryce. The arl laughed loudly and raised an amused eyebrow.

"My, my, what do we have here?"

As one could expect, he showed them absolutely no mercy and bloodcurdling screams could be heard for hours if not days.

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_Oh, here come the waterworks!;(Please excuse me while I cry my eyes out and you know, remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Next up: Chapter 6:Wounds_


	10. Chapter 6:Wounds

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"Time heals all wounds. But not this one. Not yet."  
― Marie Lu, _Champion_

**Chapter 6:Wounds**

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Everything had just happened so quickly and unexpectedly. She found it hard to believe that no more than several hours ago, her entire family and everyone else who she cared about were all gone. How could Rendon Howe do this? It was true that she never felt much trust for the man nor did she enjoy being in his presence, but he was still once a friend of her father's, so how was it that someone who the Teryn trusted such a great deal and considered a brother for years could simply attack and betray them like that? Thinking about it probably wasn't the best option, but she couldn't help herself. All it took was the betrayal of one man to ruin everything she once knew.

Valerie sat on the ground in front of a lake next to their camp, putting the weight of her face on her hands as she stared silently ahead of her. After escaping the castle, they put as much distance between themselves and Highever as possible before setting up camp at sunset. Ser Gilmore tried to console her, but she pushed him away, claiming that she wanted to be left alone for now, not even allowing Leonard anywhere near her. Duncan did not say anything; he only nodded in understanding and let her be. The rogue's hazel eyes narrowed as she gave a deep sigh and lowered her gaze to the floor, trying not to continue thinking about the events of that day and failing miserably.

"_Ir_ _abelas, ma_ _vhenan_."A voice whispered. Valerie twisted around to see Jade standing behind her with a look of pity on her face. The elven woman's blue eyes were narrowed which made her expression more compassionate and her long raven-colored hair was in a ponytail rather than let down like she usually had it. A green cloak hung loosely around her shoulders with the hood lowered so Valerie could see the altruistic meaning behind her words and face. She stared back at the elf with a very somber expression and sighed quietly.

"You want to repeat that in a language I can understand now?" There was no annoyance or ire in her voice, only sadness and a hint of actual curiosity. Sighing, Jade went over and took a seat beside the human woman, pulling her knees to her chest and eventually turning to look somberly back at Valerie. There was silence for a moment until she finally broke it.

"It means; I am filled with sorrow for your loss." The huntress translated."It can't be easy losing so much in such a short time."

"What about your parents?" Valerie asked."What would they think of you going through all of this right now?"

"I don't know." She replied sadly."I never knew either of them. At least your parents were there to raise you."

"I guess you never know how much you really have until you lose it." Valerie stated softly with a sigh."But I should still thank you for saving my mother, even if it was only for a short time to delay the inevitable."

"Do you blame yourself for what happened?" Jade queried, pressing her palms against the ground and leaning back on them. When Valerie didn't answer, she spoke again."You really shouldn't. If you had stayed behind, you would have also been killed by Arl Howe along with your parents and I think we both know he would show no clemency."

"I know." The rogue replied calmly."But that doesn't make it any easier. Maybe I just need time or maybe this is one wound that I can never recover from."

Jade didn't reply, blinking at the blonde's words while cocking her head to the side slightly. It wasn't her place to judge how Valerie would or should handle the plight she'd recently experienced. Another small period of quietude passed with Valerie breaking the silence this time.

"So how exactly did you and Tamlen end up as Grey Warden recruits?" She inquired."I'm curious as to how two Dalish decided to join such an order full of mostly humans."

Jade chuckled lightly."Believe it or not, Tamlen and I had little choice in the matter. It was either become Grey Wardens or die of the darkspawn taint. We were convinced to choose the former. And that's just the short version. The longer version is a bit surreal."

"By all means, I'd love to hear the longer version."

"You sure about that?"

"If it helps give me something else to think about, then yes, please continue."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." The elven woman gave a sigh as she fully straightened out her legs on the ground."I was looking for Tamlen so I could accompany him during his hunt; I was **supposed** to be helping our clan's craftsman, but he allowed me to go hunting. Anyway, I was just about to give up my search when I heard screaming and tracked it down to Tamlen. He'd found some humans from a nearby village and well, let's just sat he isn't exactly fond of your kind to say the least." She waved a hand in order to cut to the chase."The humans told us they were running from a demon that apparently chased them from some cave with these ancient ruins. We didn't believe a word they said at first, but then one of them showed us a stone with written Elvish on it which they claimed to have gotten from the ruins. Neither of us were sure if we could count their story as credible, so we went to the ruins ourselves and found all these ancient elven statues, all of them being**human** architecture. It was surprising to put it mildly, but what we **certainly** didn't expect was to be attacked by some undead skeletons **and** a darkspawn-tainted bear." The elf gave another sigh and Valerie could tell that recalling the event was becoming difficult for her, but she continued anyway."There was a mirror, a strange old mirror with this unusual writing on it. Tamlen went closer to the mirror and touched it. He said it was showing him...visions of an underground city. The next thing I knew, I was rendered unconscious and everyone was telling me that I had been in a coma for about two days. Duncan found me outside the cave and brought me back. The day I woke up, he went with some of the hunters and found Tamlen. He told the keeper that we were dying of the darkspawn taint because of that blasted mirror and the only way for us to survive would be to become Grey Wardens. We had to leave the clan later that night with him and so here we are now."

"I'm sorry." Valerie said with a sincere frown."I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

"I'm sure the same can be said in your case as well." Jade answered, a soft smile crossing her lips."You did tell your father that you rather liked the idea of becoming a Grey Warden, but obviously not like this."

"Yeah." She said quietly, lowering her head then looking back up at the elf."Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Jade said with a curt nod.

"You and Tamlen seem close. Is there something between you two?"

Jade looked away to hide her rapidly flushing face. She hadn't expected to be asked **that** of all things, but she really had no choice but to tell the truth."Well, not...technically if that's what you mean, but back at the cave, he asked me why I was there and I said it was because I wanted to be with him. He said he was glad and then he, um, he kissed me. We really haven't talked about it since." She quickly turned defensive."And what about you and Ser Gilmore? You two certainly seem close."

Now it was Valerie's turn to try hiding her own rapidly flushing face, the blonde rogue nearly choking on her own breath as Jade gave her an evil grin, clearly satisfied at having gotten her revenge on the human girl for asking her about Tamlen."Rory has been a loyal knight in service to my father for several years. He's a good friend of mine and pretty much the only person who I could ever really confide in without fear of being chided for expressing my distaste and irritation for the life of a noble."

Jade quirked an eyebrow, seemingly amused."So he's Rory now?"

"I, um, oh Maker's breath!" Valerie groaned into her hands as Jade snickered.

* * *

Jade twiddled her thumbs nervously as she stood outside of **his** tent, giving a small groan of vexation at all of the thoughts that were going through her head at the moment. She knew she needed to talk with Tamlen eventually about the kiss they'd shared back at the cave almost a week ago. Things were quiet between them since they left the clan with Duncan, neither of them really feeling comfortable recalling the events that lead them to where they were now. She would be lying though if she said she didn't feel a little better after telling Valerie about their circumstances for being recruited, but that still didn't change the fact that she **had** to speak with Tamlen at some point. And what better a time then now, she asked herself.

The raven-haired elf let out a sigh and nodded to herself, mentally prepared to go into his tent and talk to him about the kiss whether he like it or not. She slowly knelt down on the ground and made her way inside of his tent, reaching out a tentative hand to touch his shoulder lightly in order to wake him up. He stirred slightly, a quiet yawn escaping his lips as he blinked a couple of times before noticing her sitting in front of him. One of his eyebrows raised questioningly and he sat up slowly to look at her suspiciously.

"Did you need something, _lethallan_?" She bit her lip and gave a hesitant nod in response to his query.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." Her voice was barley above a whisper.

"Well, don't leave me guessing. What's on your mind?"

"Do you remember what happened back at the ruins?"

"When I touched the mirror? How could I possibly forget?" She sighed and shook her head.

"No, not that. I meant, right **before** we found the mirror." He stared at her in confusion for a brief moment until his eyes suddenly widened in obvious realization as his face flushed slightly and he looked down.

"Ah, I see." He muttered quietly."You mean **that**."

"Yes, **that**." She said in a rather cold tone at the apparently disinterested tone his voice took when he realized what she was talking about."**That** as in when you **kissed** me."The female elf crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a rather impatient look."We haven't talk about it since we left the clan and I...I need to know what means...what means for us." Her voice and expression visibly softened as she spoke and slowly uncrossed her arms. Tamlen stared at her for a moment, lowering his head before heaving a sigh and giving her his answer, thought it was definitely **not** what she wanted to hear.

"I...it meant nothing." His words hit her like a stack of bricks and crushed her soul as well as tore her _vhenan_ into two. It took her a full five seconds to comprehend what she'd just heard and instantly her expression turned into one of obvious hurt and shock.

"W-What?" She stammered, trying to reach out a hand to him only to feel even more hurt when he moved away from her and averted his gaze to the floor to avoid looking her in the eye. The female elf stared at him for what felt like _Bellanaris _for both of them before practically fleeing his tent and hurrying back into her own so he wouldn't be able to see or hear her cry all night long.

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_As usual, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Ir abelas, ma vhenan I am filled with sorrow for your loss, my heart _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman _(Female)__

__Vhenan - Heart __

_Bellanaris - Eternity_

_Next up: Chapter 7:True Tests_


	11. Chapter 7:True Tests

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"You can't really know what you are made of until you are tested."  
― O.R. Melling

**Chapter 7:True Tests**

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The elven mage could scarcely believe it; her harrowing was finally going to happen. Just weeks earlier, Natasha had taken her own harrowing right before Anders ran away and according to Cullen, it was the quickest, cleanest harrowing he'd ever seen. Anders would probably be found in the next few days or weeks since the Templars had his phylactery and could easily track him down with it. With any luck, First Enchanter Irving would be able to persuade Knight-Commander Greagior not to make Anders tranquil.

Working her fingers though her ponytail, Regina bit her lip nervously and twiddled her thumbs as one of the Templars escorted her into the Harrowing chambers. Irving and Greagior were already waiting with three or four other Templars that included Cullen as she approached, the sounds of her footsteps tapping against the marble floor bringing everyone's attention to her. Greagior slowly stepped forward, making a strange hand gesture before beginning to speak.

"Magic exits to serve man and never to rule over him." He stated calmly."Thus spoke the prophetess Andraste as she cast down the Tevinter Imperium that was ruled by mages who'd brought the entire world to the edge of ruins. Your magic is a gift, but it is also a curse, for demons from the dream realm - the Fade - are drawn to you. They seek to use you as a gateway into our world."

Irving walked closer to Regina, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder and a soft smile spreading across his face."This is why the Harrowing exists, Regina; the ritual sends you into the Fade and there you shall have to face a demon, armed with nothing but your own will."

Regina tried her best to stand up straight."What happens if I can't defeat the demon?"

Irving started to answer, but was cut off by Greagior."Then the demon will turn you into an abomination and the Templars will have no choice but to slay you." He ignored the way Regina's green eyes briefly widened and simply motioned toward the center of the harrowing chamber."This is lyrium. It is the very essence of magic as well as your gateway into the Fade."

Regina felt Irving grasp her arm and pull her aside for a moment."The harrowing is a secret out of necessity, Regina." He spoke in a quiet whisper so no one else would hear. "All mages must go through this trial by fire. As we were all able to succeed, so shall you. But remember to keep your your wits about you and never forget that the Fade is only a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but your own will is always real."

Greagior cleared his throat, bringing their attention to him."Apprentice Surana must go through this test alone, First Enchanter." He gave a curt nod to Regina."You are ready."

Regina let out a shaky breath and nodded to herself before slowly moving closer to the lyrium and reaching out a hand to touch it. Suddenly, a bright light flashed right in front of her eyes and her hand glowed a strange light blue color. Not even a gasp could escape her as she abruptly fell to the floor and everything went black.

* * *

Regina's eyes snapped open as she instantly sat up with a loud gasp. She sluggishly picked herself up off the ground and carefully took in her new surroundings, observing all of the large rocks, mountains, and cliffs located in the Fade. With a sigh, she quickly straightened out her posture and started searching for the demon she had to face, wanting nothing more than to get this over with as soon as possible, lest the Templars get tired of waiting and simply kill her out of sheer boredom. It was with confidence that she gave a small nod as if in mental confirmation and marched down the path in front of her to find and kill this hungry demon.

"Someone else is once again thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever, I see." The sound of an unfamiliar voice caused Regina to stop dead in her tracks, her eyes already flickering all around the place for the source of the strange voice and hesitantly giving up their search when nothing could be seen or heard around her. She shrugged it off as her imagination playing tricks on her and began to walk again when the unknown voice once again spoke."It just isn't right that the Templars do this to me, to you, and to everyone else."

Regina suddenly realized where the voice was coming from and looked down to see a rat at her feet. The elven mage shrieked in surprise, jumping back and placing a hand over her heart as she regarded the rat in front of her with a shocked stare. She even rubbed her eyes once or twice just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. When it became clear she wasn't, she quirked an eyebrow at the rat and swallowed thickly.

"I'm sorry if I offend you by saying this," She said slowly,", but are you a talking rat?"

The rat laughed loudly in response, bringing even more confusion to the already perplexed elven girl who simply continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow and blinked."You don't actually think you're really here, do you? In **that** body? The only reason you look like that is because you **think** you do!" When it became clear that she didn't know what to say in defense to that statement, the rat sighed."It's always the same, but it isn't your fault. You're in the same boat as I was, aren't you?"

Regina had to bring up an arm to shield her eyes as a bright light flashed and she slowly lowered her arm when it cleared, eyes widening and blinking several times when the rat was suddenly no longer a rat, but instead a human man who she guessed must have once been an apprentice judging by his robes. The man raised his arms in greeting and gave her a wry smile.

"Please allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me...well, Mouse, I guess."

Clucking her tongue against her teeth, Regina cocked her head to the side slightly and folded her arms over her chest."I'm going to assume that isn't your real name?" It was half-a-question and half-a-statement.

Slumping his shoulders, Mouse shook his head."I don't really remember anything from before, so no, that's not my real name." His face soon grew disgusted and angry."In case you don't understand this, the Templars usually just go ahead and kill you for taking too long. They figure you failed and they certainly don't want any demons to get out through your body, so they just slay you without any second thoughts or regrets. That's what I think they did to me at least and because of them I now have no body left to reclaim just as you don't have much time left before you end up just like me."

"Oh, wonderful." She said in a very sarcastic tone with a small groan."Do you have any idea as to how much time I have left before I end up like you?"

"I honestly don't remember, I'm afraid." He replied sadly."I just ran away and hid. I don't know how long they waited before they killed me." Regina gave another groan as she rubbed her temples and sighed in vexation.

"I think there's something contained here, something just for an apprentice like you. You're supposed to face and resist a demon, I think." At his words, the elf groaned once more.

"I already know **that**." She snapped then sighed."But I still have no idea where this demon is or what kind of creature it's supposed to be anyway."

"There are other spirits here." Mouse said."Maybe they can tell you more or even help you. But that's only if you can really believe anything you see here, I suppose." He gave a weak smile."If you don't mind, I'll follow you. My chance was a very long time ago, but you still have a way out of here for yourself."

"Be my guest, Mouse." Regina answered dryly.

Mouse got down on one knee and in a flash of bright light, turned back into his rat form, squeaking after Regina as she continued walking.

* * *

"I see yet another mortal has been thrown into the ashes and left to burn." The armored spirit scoffed in a very unimpressed manner at Regina, crossing his arms over his chest and staring up and down at her with eyes from behind his helmet like he was sizing up a cow for a slaughter. Regina did her best to keep a straight face and posture and could hear Mouse squeaking silently behind her in his rat form. She felt as if the spirit's eyes were tearing right through her chest and into her soul, reading every single one of her stuttering thoughts and fears. He narrowed his eyes and sighed, uncrossing his arms with the small shake of his head."Your mages have devised a cowardly test. I feel it better you be pitted against one another to prove your mettle with true skill rather than be sent unharmed and weak against a single demon."

Looking surprised, Regina cocked an eyebrow at him."You why I'm here?" The spirit nodded tersely at her question.

"Indeed. You are not the first one sent here for such pathetic testing, after all. I have no doubts that you will be the last either." He spoke in a calm manner, but his penetrating gaze still made Regina more than a little uncomfortable."The fact that you still remain here must mean you have not yet defeated your hunter. I wish you a glorious battle to come then."

"Just what kind of spirit are you anyway?" Regina questioned, trying to appear calm as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You may call me Valor, a warrior spirit." He replied, placing a hand on his chest for emphasis."I hone all of my weapons in search of the perfect expression of combat."

"How much do you know about the Harrowing exactly?"

"So **that** is what your test is called then? I am afraid I know very little of your mortal ways. All I know is that a demon has been called and told that a meal awaits it. It will not - cannot leave - until one of you is dead."

"Which I already know." Regina said with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her ponytail and lifted her chin curiously at the spirit before her and his weapons."Did you make all of these weapons yourself, Valor?"

Valor gave a nod."They are all brought into being by my own will. From what I understanding in your world, only mages have the ability to will things into existence and those mortals who cannot must all lead such hollow and empty lives."

"Would one of these weapons be able to affect the demon?" She inquired, resisting the urge to jump back when Valor gave a harsh, loud laugh in response.

"Of course! In this realm, everything that exists is the expression of a thought. Do you think these blades be steel or these staves made of wood? Do you believe they can draw blood as well? A weapon is a single need for battle. It is my will that makes that need a reality." He read right through her thoughts."Do you truly desire one of my weapons, mortal? Knowing your answer is yes, I shall give one to you, but only if you agree to duel me first so that Valor can test your mettle as it should be tested."

Regina swallowed thickly, but did not let her face show her tremulousness."What are the rules of this duel of yours, Valor?"

"If I find you capable of slaying the demon, then I will stop the duel and give you the staff. If I find you unworthy of slaying the demon, however, then I will slay you myself." He explained calmly."I trust these rules are simple enough for you to remember, mortal?"

"You've got yourself a deal, Valor." Regina said with a determined look on her face despite the true fear boiling within her.

"Do you understand the rules I just explained to you?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded."I do."

"Our duel begins now!" He declared."Fight with Valor!"

Regina gave a yelp as she barley ducked down in time to avoid Valor's sword cutting into her neck and rolled aside before quickly jumping back up to her feet. She backed away swiftly from him, putting up a shield to protect herself when he thrusted his sword at her head and throwing an arcane bolt which he blocked with his shield then made a beeline for her. Throwing herself to the ground, Regina landed with a grunt and quickly crawled only a second before the spirit's sword impaled the spot where her head once was. The elven mage stifled a groan as she stood up and narrowly managed to avoid Valor's blade aiming for her head again. Making sure to keep a good enough distance between the two of them, she put her hands up and summoned the Cone of Cold spell, freezing Valor's sword solid in his hand, rendering the weapon useless before she raised her leg and kicked it out of his hand.

Valor seemed to have forgotten the fallen weapon immediately and simply lunged forward, this time knocking Regina across the ground with his shield. Regina did not stop rolling until she hit a nearby boulder, groaning quietly and staggering sluggishly to her feet. When Valor moved to knock the elf down with his shield once more, she threw a fireball at him and he used his shield to block it, but failed to notice she had also summoned the Tempest spell, lighting soon bursting from above and electrocuting him through his helmet. His shield clattered loudly to the floor and he fell to his knees not even a second later. Regina started to summon another spell, but was stopped when Valor suddenly put his hands up and hurried to pick himself up off the ground, shaking his head vigorously.

Regina crossed her arms, not even bothering to hide a triumphant smirk as she reveled in her success and moved to help Valor to his feet then extended an expectant hand out to him.

"I believe you owe me a staff, Valor."

* * *

"See? I **told** you he wasn't going to help us!" Mouse crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke, gesturing toward the Sloth demon in the form of a bear lying idly on the floor and yawning every five seconds in front of them. Regina glowered in a mix of both disbelief and anger at the demon, who'd just suggested teaching Mouse how to take the form of a bear then simply told them to leave because of how exhausting teaching apparently was in his opinion. The elven mage stamped her foot lividly against the ground in vexation, scowling almost frightening at the demon. She opened her mouth and practically shouted at the top of her lungs at him.

"You cannot just suggest something and then change your mind!" The Sloth demon barely raised his head at her, letting out a chuckle and shaking his head in the slightest hint of mirth.

"You clearly have **much** to learn about the Fade, little mortal." Regina clenched her fists tightly at her side and forced herself to calm down with a quiet sigh. She fixed the demon with a very stern gaze and took a step toward him.

"If Mouse wants to learn, then you should teach him." At her words, Sloth gave Mouse a questioning look.

"You truly wish to learn my form, little one?" Mouse gave a vigorous nod at the question and a sigh escaped the demon."Then I have a challenge for your friend. If she can answer three riddles correctly, I will teach you. Should you fail, however, I will devour you both."

"Riddles?" Regina shook her head and scoffed."You **must** be joking!"

"Indeed not." The demon replied with a yawn."Amusement is rather difficult to come by and I shall certainly take it in the place of a meal whenever I can."

"I'm not sure I want to provide him with **either**." Mouse muttered under his breath.

"Fine!" Regina yelled, throwing her hands up and growling under her breath."I'll answer your stupid riddles, Sloth!"

"Truly?" He sounded surprised."Well this certainly gets more and more promising by the minute." He yawned again."Here is my first riddle then: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people, and mountains without land. What am I?"

"A map." Regina answered, inspecting her nails without any interest.

"Correct." The demon nodded."Next: I am rarely touched, but very often held. If you have wit, you'll use me well? What am I?"

"My tongue."

"Yes, your witty tongue. And now one more try: It is often that I spin the tale, but never will I charge a fee. I shall amuse you an entire eve, but, alas, you won't remember me afterward. What am I?"

"A dream."

"Yes, that is correct. It is rather apropos in the Fade, no?"

Regina rolled her eyes."I answered your riddles correctly, now keep your promise and teach Mouse to be a bear or I'll prattle with you until you give in."

* * *

"And so it comes to me at last!" Regina fought the urge to tremble with fear at the demon before her as it gloated over having finally found it's intended meal. She somehow was able to stand up straight and look calm, but it did nothing to impress the demon in the slightest."Very soon I shall see the land of the living through your eyes, creature, and you shall be mine, body and soul alike!"

"It's two against one, demon!" Regina said with feigned confidence."You really wanna fight us both?" At this, the demon laughed loudly.

"Amusing! Have you not told it of our arrangement, Mouse?"

"We don't have an arrangement!" Mouse shook his head."Not anymore!"

"Really?" The demon inclined it's head to the side."After all those meals we shared, now suddenly the mouse has changed his mind?"

"I'm not a mouse now." He replied."And soon enough, I won't have to hide or bargain with the likes of you anymore!"

"We shall see!" The demon slowly hissed in reply.

That was when the demon attacked, trying to swipe Regina in it's grasp, just barely missing when the elven mage spun away from it and grabbed her staff from behind her to cast a spell. An arcane bolt flew from her hands and struck the demon in the chest only a second before Mouse turned into his newly-found bear form and knocked the demon to the floor. The demon picked itself up quickly, turning it's attention to Regina and lunging for her. Regina cried out as it grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and hoisted her up, making her scream in pain as it's claws dug into the flesh of her arms and shoulders. Hearing this, Mouse growled softly and pounced on the demon, forcing it to release it's hold on the elven girl and pinning it to the ground.

Regina gave a sigh of relief as she jumped back up and rushed toward where the demon had just shoved Mouse off it. She twirled around her staff, hitting the demon upside the head and knocking it back down to the ground. It tried to get up, but Mouse pounced again and roughly pinned it to the floor while Regina focused all of her energy on casting another spell. Mouse quickly hopped off the demon and backed away from it less than a second before lightning burst from Regina's hands and electrocuted the demon in the chest. She could hear the demon cry out in both pain and rage as she did not break off her attack until the demon gave a loud screech and in a flash of bright light, it was no longer in existence.

She had defeated the demon and very soon she realized that her true test was not just killing the demon.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Next up: Chapter 8:A Friend In Need_


	12. Chapter 8:A Friend In Need

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"I don't like to give up on people when they need someone not to give up on them."  
― Carroll Bryant**  
**

**Chapter 8:A Friend In Need**

* * *

Regina would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised at the realization that Mouse was her true test instead of the demon she'd only taken out with his aid not even a minute ago. She had never heard of any mage attracting the attention of two demons rather than just one during their harrowing and wondered if she should consider herself lucky or unlucky in that regard. Perhaps a bit of both.

As the Pride demon once known as Mouse gave his warning about how true tests never end and vanished from her view, a sudden pain shot through Regina's head. In barely a second, she felt herself hit the ground like a rock, making no effort to fight against the darkness obscuring her vision as she slowly closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep. A brief flash of light covered the darkness for but a moment before everything once again became black.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a familiar voice filled with concern. She closed her eyes again, feeling the equally familiar softness of a bed beneath her back and a pillow supporting her head. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times and shaking her head slightly to wake herself up before sluggishly starting to sit up. A hand touched the elf's shoulder and she looked up to see Jowan frowning down at her with a worried look on his face.

"Please say something." His voice sounded similar to a plea, but when she finally spoke, her voice was a little hoarse and so she cleared her throat quickly before trying again.

"Jowan?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He gave a sigh of relief."I'm glad you're alright. The Templars carried you in this morning and I hadn't even realized you'd been gone all night. I've heard of some apprentices who never come back from their harrowings. Is it really that bad? What was it like?"

Regina fought the urge to sigh and grin at the same time. Jowan had pestered Natasha for details after she'd taken her own harrowing just weeks earlier and the human girl downright refused to tell him or Regina anything, not that Regina even bothered asking despite her own equal curiosity.

"It's a test of ability." She replied as he helped her sit up."That's all."

"There must be something else involved, or they would just tell us. I know I'm not supposed to know, but we're friends and Nat wouldn't tell me anything. Just give me one tiny, little hint and I'll stop asking, I promise."

Sighing, Regina gave a small grin."Well, I'm not exactly Nat now, am I? If you really want to know so badly, then I'll tell you. I had to enter the Fade."

"Really? Is that all?"

"I had to face a demon too." Jowan nodded in understanding at her words, seemingly not disturbed or frightened by such a thing like most apprentice might have been from hearing a revelation like this.

"That makes sense. They probably want to see if you can successfully resist the demon and avoid turning into an abomination." His expression turned rather sulky then."And now you get to see Natasha again in the fancy mage's quarters upstairs while I'm still stuck down here with absolutely no idea as to when they plan to call me down for my harrowing."

"Any day now, I'm sure." She said softly, though he only sighed and shook his head.

"I've been here longer than both you and Natasha combined. Sometimes I feel like they just don't want to test me."

"You're being paranoid Jowan."

"No, I'm afraid of what will happen to me. It's either you do your harrowing, the Rite of Tranquility, or you die. That's just what happens to everyone here."

"Jowan-" Regina started, only to be cut off by his putting up a hand to interrupt whatever she was going to say and shaking his head.

"Never mind. I shouldn't be wasting your time with this. I was supposed to tell you to see Irving as soon as you were awake."

"Best not to keep him waiting then."

"We'll talk later, Regina."

* * *

Regina hummed a quiet tune to herself as she trotted through the hallway in the direction of Irving's office, mentally reveling in the blissful success of finally completing her harrowing. She stopped by the door to the office of the First Enchanter, starting to knock when she saw that the door was already open and heard some voices inside of the room, one of those voices belonging to none other than Knight-Commander Greagior. Peeking inside, Regina spotted Greagior involved in an apparently heated conversation with Irving, Natasha, and a dark-skinned man with a beard who Regina didn't recognize. Off to the side of the room were four other unfamiliar people who stood quietly without so much as a care in the world as to what anyone else was saying.

The first person she noticed was a female elf with long black hair swirling down her shoulders and unique tattoos on her forehead. Regina could tell she was probably Dalish, though it was almost impossible to see due to the green cloak she wore around her shoulders with the pulled up hood mostly covering her face and head. Next to the dark- haired elf was a blonde Dalish man casually leaning against the wall while keeping his gaze focused on the floor as if in deep thought. A young blonde woman was covering her face with her hands like she was trying to keep the others in the room from seeing her crying silently to herself while a red-haired man had his hand resting on her shoulder in an attempt to console her. Regina felt pity for the blonde woman and wondered what plight she could have possibly been experiencing at the moment.

"Many have already gone to Ostagar!" Regina could tell by the impatient tone in his voice that Greagior was obviously frustrated by whatever he was discussing with the First Enchanter, Natasha, and the bearded man."Including Wynne, Uldred, and most of the senior mages! We have committed more than enough of our own for this pathetic war effort!"

"Your own?" Irving quirked an eyebrow at Greagior, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the Templar a sarcastic smirk mixed with both amusement and disbelief."The Templars I can understand, but since when have you of all people suddenly felt such kinship with the mages, Greagior?"

Natasha wasted no time in joining in on the First Enchanter's amusement. She took a step towards Greagior, smirking in an almost taunting manner at him."Yeah, since when do you care about what happens to us abominations? Or are you just afraid to let my people out from under Chantry supervision where we can actually use these oh-so-threatening powers of ours?"

"How dare you both suggest-" Greagior nearly growled, but was interrupted when the bearded man put a hand in front of him to stop him and tried to sound neutrally calm.

"Everyone please." He spoke diplomatically as Regina hesitantly came inside."Irving, I believe there is someone here to see you."

"Hello." Regina whispered, not really sure of what else to say. Irving and Natasha both turned around to give her separate smiles as Natasha went over and hugged her.

"Congratulations." Natasha whispered in her ear and pulled away with a smile.

"If it isn't our new sister in the Circle." Irving said, beckoning for her to come closer."Come, child."

The bearded man slowly came to stand beside Irving, eyebrow raised."This is...?"

Irving nodded."Yes, this is Regina Surana."

Greagior cleared his throat awkwardly."Seeing as you're obviously busy at the moment Irving, we will continue our discussion later." He sent a small glare to Natasha before he hurriedly exited the room. Natasha just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Irving nodded again."Of course...now where was I? Ah yes!" He motioned toward the bearded man and then at the four strangers standing on the other side of the room."This is Duncan of the Grey Wardens and these are his recruits: Jade Mahariel, Tamlen, Valerie Cousland, and Ser Roland Gilmore."

Regina's eyes widened as she turned to Natasha for confirmation. The chestnut-haired mage simply smiled and nodded. Quickly getting over the slight shock of the news, she turned back to Duncan and gave a polite nod."I am very pleased to meet you, Duncan."

"I expect you have already heard about the war brewing in the south." Irving said."Duncan has come here to recruit mages for the king's army at Ostagar."

Natasha's lips twisted into a small smirk."I certainly wouldn't mind helping to defend Ferelden."

Duncan glanced at her in apparent approval."With the darkspawn invading, we need all the help we can get, especially from the Circle of Magi."

Regina frowned."Why from the Circle?"

"The power wielded by mages is a great aspect to any army. Your spells are very effective against large groups of mindless darkspawn. I fear if we do not drive them back now, we shall see another blight." Duncan explained grimly.

"Duncan, you worry the poor girl with these ominous talks of blights and darkspawn." Irving cut in."This is a happy day for her."

"We live in troubled times, my friend." Duncan stated.

"Hence why we should always make sure to cease such moments of levity during troubled times." Irving replied in a matter-of-a-factly tone."The harrowing is behind you now, Regina, and your phylactery has been sent to Denerim. You have now officially become a mage within the Circle of Magi."

"Don't you mean her leash?" Natasha retorted bitterly with a scoff.

Irving gave a half-scolding, half-saddened look."Now, now, Natasha, it is not **that** bad."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that everyday." She muttered sarcastically.

"I'm sorry." Duncan said with a frown."But what is this phylactery you speak of?"

"When an apprentice first comes to the tower, some of their blood is taken and preserved into special vials." Irving explained.

"So they can be hunted if they becomes apostates." The Grey Warden stated calmly.

"We have very few choices, Duncan." Irving replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave the Grey Warden a stern look."The gift of magic is often looked upon with great fear as well as suspicion. We must prove ourselves strong enough to handle our powers responsibly." He turned back to Regina."You have done this, Regina, and so I present you with your robes, your staff, and a ring bearing the Circle's insignia. Wear them proudly, for you have truly earned them."

"What now?" Irving chuckled lightly at the question.

"Patience, young one. You have just been through an ordeal. Let us not rush into anything for the moment." He uncrossed his arms."It also goes without saying that you shall **not** discuss the harrowing with those who have not yet undergone the rite. Now then, you may take your time to rest, study in the library, or catch up with Natasha. The day is yours."

"I believe my recruits and I will return to our quarters now." Duncan said. Hearing this, the four recruits simply turned and exited the room without so much as a word of acknowledgement to anyone. Irving turned to Natasha and Regina.

"Would you two both be so kind as to escort Duncan back to his quarters?" He heaved a sigh as they both nodded."In the meantime, I have some important matters to discuss with Greagior."

* * *

Having just escorted Duncan back to his quarters, Natasha and Regina were busy chatting along about how each of them felt about going through their own particular harrowings when Jowan suddenly ran up to them, panting slightly from his run.

"I'm glad I caught up with you two." He said in relief."Are you done talking with Irving?"

"Ahhh, are you going through another personal crisis, Jowan?" Natasha asked sweetly.

"Very funny." Jowan replied sarcastically."I need to talk to you two. Regina, do you remember what we discussed this morning?"

"Yeah, why?" Regina asked.

"Jowan, why are you whispering?" Natasha questioned rather loudly.

He shushed her fiercely."I just want to make sure no one overhears us. Let's go somewhere else. I don't feel safe talking here."

"You're worrying me, Jowan." Regina said with a frown.

He lowered his head."I've been troubled lately. If you two would just please come with me, I'll explain everything."

The two girls looked at each other worriedly, but did as he asked and followed him into the chapel where a red-haired woman seemed to be waiting for them.

"We should be safe here." Jowan nodded, coming to stand beside the woman.

"You do realize the chapel is the Templars' favorite hangout, right?" Natasha asked dryly.

"We can see the door from here." The woman replied."If anyone comes, then we'll just change the subject."

"Have we met before?" Natasha raised an eyebrow."You look familiar."

"I often attend to my duties in this chapel." She answered."Perhaps that is why I seem familiar to you."

"Makes sense." Natasha nodded."But I still want to know why you brought us here, Jowan."

"A few months ago, I told you both that I met a girl." Jowan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and motioned toward the woman."This is Lily."

At this revelation, Natasha gave a feigned shocked gasp and took Regina by the arm."Oh look, Regina, she's real!" She snorted loudly to hold back a laugh.

Regina and Lily both giggled as Jowan glowered at Natasha.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Nat." He said sarcastically."You might even give Anders a run for his money if he were here with all those **wonderful** jokes you make about me." He put heavy sarcasm on the word 'wonderful'.

Natasha smirked brazenly."Yes well, as mirthful as all of this is, I doubt you brought us here just to talk about forbidden love."

Jowan sighed loudly."Oh, I **wish** that was the only thing I had to tell you. Remember when I said that I didn't think they wanted to let me go through my harrowing?" He didn't wait for an answer."Well, I know why..." He swallowed hard."...they're going to make me Tranquil."

"What?!" Regina and Natasha exclaimed together, aghast by his words. Jowan gave a sad nod and put his face in his hands.

"They're going to take away everything that I am from me - my dreams, hopes, fears, and my love for Lily! All of it will be gone!"

"No." Regina choked out, holding her head in her hands to keep from crying."No, they can't do that!"

"They'll extinguish my humanity! I'll be nothing but a walking husk, breathing and existing, but not truly living!" Jowan nearly sobbed.

"Why?!" Natasha demanded, angry tears running down her cheeks.

Jowan hesitated."There's a rumor about me."

"What kind of rumor?" She questioned.

"People think I'm a blood mage and that making me a Circle mage will endanger everyone else."

"Please tell me they aren't true." Natasha moaned pleadingly.

"Of course not!" He almost shouted."But it isn't safe for me here anymore!"

"What are you going to do?" Regina asked quietly.

"I have to escape, but to do that I need to destroy my phylactery first. They won't be able to track me down without it. Please help us, Lily and I can't do this on our own."

"Give us your word that you shall help and we will tell you what we intend to do." Lily said, placing a hand on Jowan's shoulder and looking at the two female mages with a pleading expression on her face.

"You have my word." Regina replied without a hint of hesitation.

Natasha clapped a hand on Jowan's shoulder."And mine."

"Thank you." Lily said with a nod."We will never forget this."

"You wanna tell us that plan of yours now?" Natasha inquired."Because I hope for both of your sakes that it's a good one."

* * *

"We did it!" Jowan nearly cried out in joy as the four of them exited the repository, still full of excitement and agitation from what they'd just done. He turned to Natasha and Regina, his expression that of obvious relief and gratefulness."I can't believe it! Thank you both! Without you, we could never have-"

"So what you said as true, Irving." All four of them twisted around in surprise at the sudden sound of Greagior's cold, calm voice as he and Irving slowly approached the group with several Templars behind them. At the look on the Knight-Commander's face, it almost instantly became abundantly clear to Regina that their secret plan had never been a secret at all.

'They knew we were coming.' She thought to herself in shocked realization.

"G-Greagior." Lily stammered, shaking like a leaf and sweating with fear. The Knight-Commander turned his cold gaze on the redhead, eyes narrowing as he sighed and shook his head in disgust.

"An initiate conspiring with a blood mage. You disappoint me, Lily." He studied her for a moment."She appears to be generally shocked, but more than fully in control of her own mind. Not a thrall of the blood mage then, it seems. You were right, Irving, Lily has betrayed us and her actions shall not go unpunished by the Chantry." It was then that he turned his attention to both Regina and Natasha with a contemptuous sneer as he waved a hand in their direction."And these two, both newly mages and already flouting the rules of the Circle."

"I am disappointed in you two." The First Enchanter shook his head."You could have told me what you knew of this plan but you did nothing of the sort."

"You don't care for the mages!" Jowan shouted angrily."You just bow to the Chantry's every whim!"

"Jowan's right." Natasha crossed her arms over her chest defiantly."You don't give a damn about the apprentices."

"Jowan, Natasha, please don't make this any worse." Regina implored.

"Enough!" Greagior put his hands up with a sigh and pointed at Jowan."As Knight-Commander of the Templars here assembled, I hereby sentence this blood mage to death." He pointed at Lily."As for the initiate, she has scorned both the Chantry and her vows. Take her to Aeonar."

"The mage's prison?!" Lily gasped in horror."No please! Anywhere but there!"

"No!" Jowan yelled."I won't let you touch her!" In a flash, he suddenly drew a knife and stabbed it into his wrist before using the magical force of his own blood to throw Greagior, Irving and the Templars to the floor. Natasha felt herself recoil in horror while Regina cried out Irving's name and rushed to his side. Jowan really was a blood mage after all. He lied to them. How could he just lie to them like that after everything they'd done for him? Lily backed away from him, covering her mouth with her hands as she muffled a gasp of horror.

"By the Maker! Blood magic!" She exclaimed."How could you, Jowan? You told me you never-"

"I only dabbled!" Jowan defended."I thought it would make me a better mage!"

"Blood magic is evil, Jowan." Lily said, shaking her head."It corrupts people, changes them!"

"I'm going to give it up!" He promised."All magic, I promise! I just want to be with you, Lily! Please come with me!"

"I trusted you, they trusted you!" She hissed, pointing at a horrified Natasha and sobbing Regina who was still trying to wake up an unconscious Irving."All of us were more than ready to give up everything for you, but I don't know you anymore, blood mage. Stay away from me!" She pointed toward the door and backed away from him some more.

Jowan turned to his friends, guilt and sorrow filling him as he felt a single tear run down his cheek before he fled the room with a broken heart. Regina stared after him as Natasha knelt down beside her when Irving stirred and slowly awoke, looking at them both with an expression full of concern.

"Are you both alright?" He asked as they helped him up."Where is Greagior?"

"I knew it!" Greagior practically jumped to his feet in rage."Blood magic! But to overcome so many, I never would have thought him to be capable of such power."

"He lied to us." Natasha whispered, trying hard not to cry.

"None of us expected this." Irving said sadly."Are you alright, Greagior?"

Greagior scoffed."As good as one could expect given the circumstances! If you had just allowed me to act sooner, then none of this would have happened! Now we have a blood mage on the loose with absolutely no way to track him down!"

"He destroyed his phylactery." Regina murmured.

"Where is she?" Greagior demanded, ignoring Regina."Where is that treacherous initiate?!"

"I am here, sir." Lily took a tentative step forward.

"You helped a blood mage!" He yelled furiously."Look at everything he's hurt!"

"You forced his hand, just like you forced my brother's!" Natasha screamed in rage.

"Lily didn't know Jowan was a blood mage!" Regina defended."She did it for love!"

Lily gave them both a sad smile."You've both been good friends, but neither of you need to defend me anymore. Knight-Commander, I was wrong. I helped a blood mage and I shall take whatever punishment you see fit, even...even Aeonar."

"Get her out of my sight!" Greagior scowled as two Templars grabbed Lily and quickly ushered her out of the room. He then turned his anger towards Natasha and Regina."And you two! You both know why the repository exists! Some artifacts - some magics - are locked away for a reason!"

"Did you take anything from the repository?" Irving questioned.

"No." Regina answered honestly.

"Very well." He said with a nod."I believe you."

"But your antics have made a complete mockery of this Circle!" Greagior shook his head in vexation."Ugh, what are we going to do with you?!"

"Do what you will." Natasha replied, crossing her arms again and lifting her chin calmly as she eyed the man who murdered her little brother right in front of her all those years ago."I stand by my decision to help Jowan."

"So do I." Regina nodded.

"You helped a blood mage escape!" He shouted."All of our prevention measure are now for naught - because of you two brats!"

"Knight-Commander, if I may." All eyes turned to see Duncan as he came to stand behind Regina and Natasha and placed hands on both of their shoulders."I am here not only looking for more mages to join the king's army, but I am also recruiting for the Grey Wardens. Irving spoke very highly of these two mages and I would like for them to join my order."

"Duncan, these mages have assisted a maleficar and shown a complete lack of regard for the Circle's rules." Irving protested.

"They are a danger to us all." Greagior added, exchanging glares with Natasha.

"It is a very rare person who risks all for a friend in need." Duncan said softly."I am sorry, but I stand by my decision. I **will** recruit these mages and I hereby invoke the Rite of Conscription on them and Ser Cullen."

"No!" Greagior screamed."I refuse to let Amell and Surana's actions go unpunished! Nor will I allow you to take away one of my best knights!"

"Yes well, it's bad you can't do anything about it." Natasha said with a smirk, prompting a scowl from the enraged Templar.

"Greagior, mages are needed." Duncan said."**These** mages are needed. You already know full well that far worse things currently this world than blood mages. I take these young mages under my wing as well as your Templar and take responsibility for all of their actions."

"A blood mage has escaped and not only are his accomplices both left unpunished, but are rewarded by becoming Grey Wardens!" Greagior scoffed in disbelief."Not to mention one of my most faithful Templars is also taken away against my will!"

"Enough, Greagior!" Irving snapped then sighed."There is nothing else we can do or say in this matter."

"Get your things and prepare to leave by the end of the day." Duncan whispered to his two new recruits."I will go inform Ser Cullen as well."

They both nodded, more than eager to finally be rid of this prison they were once forced to call home.

* * *

**Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! **

**Next up: Chapter 9:Betrothed**


	13. Chapter 9:Betrothed

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Oh, my betrothed of a day, if I did not love you, I would not give  
you my lips! Take them, for the first time and the last."  
— Gaston Leroux (The Phantom of the Opera)

**Chapter 9:Betrothed**

* * *

_"_Mamae_!"_

_The desperate cry of a heartbroken child seemed to echo through the entire marketplace, breaking the stunned and horrified silence that had settled not even a minute ago. Dark brown eyes of a small elven girl widened instantly at the sight before her; her mother, Adaia, with a knife sticking out of her chest, piercing her heart, and the _shemlen_ who'd just stabbed her having not expected for her to return the favor. The shocked _shem_ let out a mix of a gasp and a groan of pain as he slowly fell to the ground, pain-filled eyes closing as he allowed death to take him with one final moan of pain. Adaia's expression was one of peace, however; the dark-skinned elf's pale lips forming into a sad, peaceful smile as she too collapsed beside the dead human man._

_"_Mamae_!" Zoë let loose another cry as she and several other elves hurried to a dying Adaia's side. The little girl fell next to her mother, clutching Adaia's hands tightly in her own and choking out a sob, tears having already begun to run down her cheeks. This simply **couldn't** be happening. One minute Adaia had single-handingly and bravely taken out a group of despicable _shems_ who sauntered into the market with the intent of taking some women and children with them to violate or maybe even something far worse than that if such was possible, and then the next thing anyone knew, one of the _shems_ had suddenly jumped up and stabbed the elven woman right in the heart, but Adaia, in all her glory and determination, made sure to take him with her. If she was to die by the hand of a _shem_ then she would be sure he would not live to tell the tale._

_"Zoë." Adaia whispered, smiling lovingly at her daughter as she gave the eleven-year-old girl's hand a small squeeze."Be good, take care of your father for me. Make Mamae proud, sweetheart."_

_"_Mamae_!" Zoë sobbed."Please don't-" She trailed off when the older elf shushed her gently._

_"_Mamae_ has to go now, sweetie." Adaia gave a small gasp as she could feel her life starting to slip away rapidly."Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. You're going to be alright, Zoë. I'll always be watching over you no matter what. So be a good girl and take real good care of your daddy for me." She coughed weakly."And...protect both Soris and Shianni, they need you now more than ever. Be strong for them, for your father, and for me. Promise you'll do that for me, okay?"_

_"But-"_

_"Promise me, Zoë."_

_"I promise!" She nodded vigorously._

_Adaia nodded weakly."Good, I'll hold you to that promise, so make sure you keep it. Ugh, g-goodbye, my little girl. I love you...be good..." Another choked gasp was heard before Adaia's dark black eyes slowly closed and her breathing seized soon afterwards. Zoë felt herself begin to shake with pure grief and shock over what had just happened. Her mother was gone, **dead**, killed by humans, the very people who had once enslaved their people all those years ago. For a moment, she was silent and then before anyone knew it, another heartbroken cry escaped her lips._

_"_Mamae_!"_

* * *

"Wake up, cousin!" A familiar voice cried and Zoë could feel someone was shaking her vigorously, trying to wake her up. Her eyes instantly snapped open and she sat up abruptly with a loud gasp, causing the person who was shaking her to give a yelp and jump back in surprise. Zoë brought her hands to face, attempting to calm down and stop panting like a dog from another one of her recurring dreams about the death of her mother so many years ago. She willed herself not to cry, swallowing down any sobs that threatened escape her throat and furiously blinking away tears.

"Cousin?" Zoë looked over to the side to see Shianni standing by her bedside with an obvious look of worry on her face as she stared at the older girl."Another nightmare?"

Zoë gave a weak nod, holding her head in her hands and letting out a sigh."And it's only getting worse each time. Wait a second, did I oversleep again or something?" She gave a small groan.

"Yes, your father and I figured you deserved it." Shianni said with a small smile that quickly became a frown."But I can see you obviously didn't sleep very well, did you?"

Zoë offered nothing more than another sigh in response. Uncomfortable silence settled between the two of them before Shianni shifted nervously and smiled again, trying to lighten the mood."Guess what today is?"

"Ugh, please don't say wedding!" Zoë groaned. Shianni just laughed and waved her off, clapping her hands together in excitement.

"A double wedding!" She squealed happily."You're getting married and so is Soris!"

"I'm surprised he hasn't ran away yet." Zoë scoffed.

Shianni laughed."He tried to last night, but your father and I caught him trying to sneak out of the window when he was half-way through."

"Well, that's the third time this weak by my count that he's tried and failed again." Zoë shook her head with a sigh as Shianni continued.

"Anyway, I'm here to tell you that your groom, Nelaros, he's here early!"

"Now? But I'm not even ready!"

"Well, it's going happen anyway, so you're just going to have to hold your breath and jump in, cousin! Besides, I snuck a peek and he's really handsome!"

"Stow it, Shianni."

"But there's going to be music, decorations, feasting...weddings are so much fun! You're so lucky!"

"Shianni, if you say one more word about weddings, I'm going to strangle you. I mean it."

"Alright, alright!" Shianni laughed, putting her hands up."I'll stop tormenting you. I need go talk with the others bridesmaids and find my dress anyway. Oh, and Soris is waiting for you outside, so move it!"

"You really don't understand the meaning of the phrase 'stow it' do you, Shianni?"

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving! Sheesh, lighten up a bit for your wedding at least!" The redhead said as she turned to leave.

"Never!" Zoë shouted only half-jokingly after her cousin.

Sighing, Zoë got out of bed and went to retrieve the most nicest white dress she had, which by elven standards was about as fancy as a servant's uniform. It was certainly nothing when compared to the lovely dresses of_shemlen_ nobility, but it was still a dress and she'd never been much a fan of wearing them unless she had no other choice anyway so it really didn't matter to her. She slowly slipped into the pale white dress that went down to her ankles and tied her long strawberry blonde hair into it's usual ankle-length braids on either side of her face with golden ribbons her parents had given her on her tenth birthday just a year before _Mamae_ died.

Zoë froze briefly, staring deeply at her reflection in the mirror as if she couldn't recognize herself. She lowered her eyes, pondering on how this forcibly-arranged wedding would go today and didn't even bother preventing the snarl that spread across her features at the mere thought of an arranged marriage. Despite whatever stories people told or heard of the Dalish, they were most definitely not savage and boy did she envy them right now for their freedom when it came to **choosing** who they married above all. It surely wasn't an easy life always being on the move but at least they were free and if Pol actually had been able to find them like he said he would before escaping to avoid being executed for picking a guard's pocket, well then let's just say Soris owed her a great deal of coin since that would mean she won their little bet from several days ago. She made a mental note to remind him of that later on today.

For her entire life, she'd always loathed the idea of being forced to wed someone she didn't even know, let alone never loved. Honestly, it didn't matter how handsome this betrothed of hers was or wasn't because if anyone thought they could tame her, they were dead wrong. Zoë Tabris was not to be tamed and would purposely make this naive future husband of hers suffer everyday for the rest of his life if he dared think her to be a weak little flower like the _shems_ did their women. It was with an evil grin that she nodded her head in mental confirmation at the idea then heaved a sigh before exiting the room to say goodbye to what her people liked to call freedom.

* * *

Zoë grumbled to herself as she came into the dining room where her father was staring out the window as if in deep thought. The sound of Zoë's footsteps tapping against the wooden floor snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to her with a smile on his face which she did not return, opting continue giving him the cold shoulder as she had been doing for the last few weeks since what'd happened with dinner when she tried to do something nice by making her mother's old soup.

"Ah, my little girl." Cyrion pulled her into a hug which she also did not return."Today's the last day I'll be able to call you that. Oh, I wish your mother could have been here." He let out a sigh when Zoë just stayed silent and stared at him."Still not talking to me, I see. Well, you can't ignore me forever, Zoë. Eventually, you and I are going to have to talk. It's not like you can give me the silent treatment for the rest of your life."

"Can too." She mouthed, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a very stony look in the eye. Cyrion gave a deep sigh, shaking his head and putting up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Alright, keep acting like like that if you like." He said calmly."After living with your mother for eleven years, Maker knows I can handle being given the cold shoulder by my own daughter."

Zoë winced when he spoke of the Maker. She despised the very mention of the idiotic _shemlen_ god who did nothing to help her people whatsoever. Andraste was said to have freed the slaves, but in reality, that stupid_shemlen_ harlot had done nothing but make almost everything far worse for the elves than She ever did better. It was a good thing Her mortal husband betrayed Her, because if this pathetic Maker really did exist, than He knew full well that the only thing Andraste did was ruin other people's lives and thus, deserved to die like the slattern She truly was. And after what She did to the mages, may Her soul **never** find peace because She most certainly did **not** deserve anything of the sort.

"I don't want to get married." Zoë blurted out without realizing until it was too late. Cyrion looked surprised that she'd actually said something to him and much to her relief, only chuckled softly.

"I understand. Before I met Adaia, I was ready to go hunt for the Dalish. Just be glad I chose the match. Without any parents to represent you, children such as your cousin Soris end marrying who it is _Hahren_ Valendrian can find for them."

"Like that's any different from who you choose for me." She grumbled."Well, at least tell me about this**wonderful** man I'm supposed to waste the rest of my life with then. I think I'm entitled to that much, aren't I?" She put heavy sarcasm and venom on the word 'wonderful'. To her father's credit, he ignored the cold tone and quickly answered her question.

"Nelaros is from a good family in Highever, their youngest son actually and from what I've been told, he's an expert at the blacksmith's anvil. He's also very handsome, just in case you want to know about his looks, that is."

"I don't."

"Well then, I guess it's time for you go find Soris then. The sooner we start this wedding, the less chance the two of you have to escape."

Zoë smiled slyly."A small chance is still a chance, you know."

"Hmm, still have your mother's smart mouth, I see." Cyrion commented."Oh, and before you go Zoë, there's something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?" She questioned.

"Your martial training: the swordplay, knives, and whatever else your mother trained you in, best not to mention any of it to your betrothed."

"You do realize he'll find out sooner or later, right?"

"**Later**. Definitely later. We don't want to seem like troublemakers, after all. Adaia made that mistake."

"Mother died a hero, Father." Zoë replied rather coldly.

"I know." He murmured, pulling her into a hug."And I don't want the same to happen to you."

Sensing the worry in her father's tone, Zoë stiffened slightly and snuggled her head into his chest. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"Don't worry, Father. Everything will be fine."

* * *

"Well if it isn't my lucky cousin." Soris said as he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and smiled wryly at Zoë."Care to celebrate the end of our independence together?"

Zoë pressed her lips together, quirking an eyebrow."Is running away still an option?"

"What are you, nuts?!" Soris exclaimed."Where would you go? Into the woods to live with the Dalish elves?"

"Interesting choices of words from someone who tried to escape out the window last night." She said with a smirk while studying her nails with feigned disinterest for her younger male cousin. Soris gave a loud groan at her words and she felt her smirk widen slightly when she heard this.

"Shianni told you?" It was only half a question as he already pretty much knew the answer.

"Yup." She replied, popping the 'p' and giving him a wide grin.

"Please don't tell _Hahren_ Valendrian." He begged."Then I'll never hear the end of it."

"Yes well, I'll be sure to bring some popcorn so I can watch you get berated like a misbehaving little boy, which you still are actually."

"You just love torturing me, don't you?"

"If I don't, who will?"

"No one?"

"Exactly! It would be so boring letting you live in peace, after all."

"Whatever." Soris rolled his eyes."Besides, why would you run? Apparently, your groom is a dream come true while my 'lovely' bride sound like a dying mouse."

"Maybe you'll get a cage as a wedding present." Zoë said with a shrug.

Soris laughed but then quickly stopped and tried his best, which wasn't really a lot at all, to look serious for once."That's terrible!"

She scoffed in playful disbelief."Then why were you laughing?"

"No reason." He coughed quickly."Now come on so we can at least introduce you to your dreamy betrothed before you say 'I do'."

"Hey!" They both nearly groaned at the sound of Shianni shouting to get their attention as she waved them over with the other bridesmaids and elves present too. One of the bridesmaids, Nola, failed to notice a strange human man coming up behind her until he suddenly grabbed her arms and shook her roughly.

"Let me go!" Nola cried, tearing out of his grasp and scrambling away from him."Please stop!"

The human man grinned lecherously and Zoë almost trembled with agitation as it reminded her of how her mother had died protecting her daughter and friends from disgusting _shemlen_ like this one right here. It took all of her self-control not to scream at the painful memories it brought up and she forced herself to breathe evenly without letting any of her emotions show, especially in front of a bunch of _shemlen._

"It's a party, isn't it?" The human shrugged."Grab a whore and have a good time." The chilling laughter that came from his lips caused Zoë to clench her fists tightly at her sides to the point in which her nails drew blood from the skin of her palms. She felt her heartbeat go off the roof when the human gestured toward Shianni."Savor the hunt boys. Take this little elven wench here for example...so young and vulnerable."

Shianni sneered."Touch me and I'll gut you, you pig!"

"Please milord!" A male elf beside Shianni cried."We are celebrating weddings here!"

"Silence, worm!" Vaughan growled as he slapped the elf so hard he fell to the ground. It was enough to make Zoë growl softly and start making her way over to him when Soris jumped in front of her with a pleading look on his face.

"I know what you're thinking, but maybe we shouldn't get involved." He whispered urgently.

"Objected noted." Zoë said tersely as she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side in feigned consideration before waving a dismissive hand at him."Now get out of my way!"

"Fine!" He sighed."But let's at least try to be diplomatic, shall we?"

"Over **your** dead body!" She spat, shoving him aside and putting two fingers into her mouth to whistle loudly. The human twisted around at the sound and leered at a scowling Zoë while slowly approaching her with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this? Another lovely one to keep me company?" He asked with a smirk, not even slightly ashamed of himself for ogling a young woman like that.

Zoë rolled her eyes."Dream on, _shemlen_."

The human laughed loudly."Do you have any idea who I am, wench?" Zoë ignored him, instead glancing over his shoulder to see Shianni grabbing a bottle and going to sneak up behind him. She smirked at the human and cocked her head to the side.

"As a matter of fact, I do." She replied dryly."You're the dolt whose about to get a terrible headache."

The human looked at her in confusion before his eyes suddenly widened in realization and he spun around just in time for Shianni to smash the bottle right onto his head. A strangled cry of both pain and surprise came from the human as he crashed like a rock to the ground with a loud thud. Zoë let out a superior laugh, highfiving Shianni and spitting on the unconscious human man's head.

"Are you insane?" One of the other two humans present exclaimed."This is Vaughan Kendalls, the Arl of Denerim's son!"

"What?" Shianni's face paled as she put her hands over her mouth and looked as if she wanted to pass out."Oh, Maker!"

Zoë placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder whilst throwing a glower at the other two humans."Well, it's such a pity his father never had the opportunity to teach him better manners then."

"You've a lot of nerve, knife-ears!" Another human hissed."This will go **very** badly for you!"

"Go to hell, _shem_." She spat back, meeting the human's glare with a superior smirk as they slowly backed off and left the Alienage with Vaughan's out cold body in tow.

"Oh, I really messed up this time, didn't I?" Shianni muttered worriedly.

"It'll be alright." Soris said, trying to calm his sister's nerves."It's not like he'll ever anyone else that an elven woman took him down."

"Soris is right, Shianni." Zoë said with a nod."That human noble may be a big bully on the outside, but he's also a real caitiff on the inside, that's for sure."

"I hope you two are right." Shianni sighed."I should go get cleaned up now." As she walked away, another elven woman came up to Zoë and Soris, followed by a male elf.

"Is everybody else alright?" Soris queried.

The woman nodded."I think we're just a little shaken." She inclined her head slightly in a confused manner."What was that all about anyway?"

Soris gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly."It looks like the arl's son just started drinking a little too early."

"That's an understatement." Zoë murmured, crossing her arms.

Soris cleared his throat quickly."Well, let's not let this ruin the day." He gestured toward the elven woman."This is Valora, my betrothed."

Zoë gave the woman a polite nod then turned to the male elf, studying him for a moment before a pleasant smile spread across her face in something greatly resembling approval."And I assume that this handsome young man is Nelaros then, right?"

"I am a lucky man to be greeted so warmly." Nelaros blushed."Soris spoke much of you. Some of it was even positive." He hesitated a little on the last part, casting Soris a discrete glance while raising an eyebrow slightly at the other elven man.

Soris threw his hands up."Hey, I just wanted to give you a chance to up and run!"

Hearing this, Zoë simply raised her foot and slammed the heel of her boot hard into Soris's shin, making him yelp in pain. She then calmly turned to Valora with a sweet smile, ignoring her younger cousin as he hopped on one foot while rubbing his aching shin, whimpering like an injured puppy in pain the entire time.

"Valora," Zoë said in a just as sweet tone of voice that matched her smile,", once this wedding is over, what's say you, me, Shianni, and the other bridesmaids have a nice girly chat and I'll be sure to tell you all about how Soris tried to run away from you last night and how he compared you to a dying mouse just fives minutes ago?"

"Zoë!" Soris shouted, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Valora looked both surprised and hurt by this revelation as she turned to Soris."What is she talking about, Soris?"

"Um, I think Zoë and Nelaros have a lot to discuss." He offered Valora his arm and glowered at a smirking Zoë as they walked away.

"Well, here we are." Nelaros said somewhat timidly." Are you nervous?"

"Not really, no." She replied, uncrossing her arms."Why? Are you?"

He hesitated."I thought I'd stay calm, but now that I'm finally seeing you in person...well let's just say I'm not very calm at all."

Zoë couldn't help but smile at his nervousness. She wondered if this was how her father had felt when he first met her mother."I can imagine it wasn't easy for you to leave Highever for our wedding." She offered him a sympathetic smile.

"It was hard to leave Highever, yes, but your father's matchmaker spoke highly of you, and rightfully so too, I might add." Zoë looked away to hide her blush when Nelaros kissed her hand like a true gentleman. Alright, maybe getting married wasn't all that bad, after all. Besides, it's wasn't like her arranged spouse was anything like that fat drunkard that shrew Elva had gotten matched up with. Nelaros seemed to be a genuinely kind, respectful, and decent young man, not to mention handsome.

"Nelaros?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to be such a flatterer around me and I'm absolutely sure that we'll get along just fine."

He smiled slowly."I'll work on that."

"Good." She smiled back, already starting to like the idea of marriage, after all.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations: _

_Shem/Shemlen - Humans _

_Mamae - Mother_

_Next up: Chapter 10:Til Death Do Us Part_


	14. Chapter 10:Til Death Do Us Part

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"I gave her an engagement ring—along with the dead body's finger it was still attached to. Love is cemeterial."  
― Jarod Kintz, _My love can only occupy one_

**Chapter 10:Til Death Do Us Part**

* * *

"Maker keep us, Maker protect us, Maker keep us, Maker protect us..."

"Will you stop that already?!"

"Maker keep us, Maker protect us..."

"Nola, if you don't knock it off right now, I swear I'll knock you out!"

A moan of pain threatened to escape from Zoë's lips as the familiar voices of Nola and Shianni echoed in her ears. The last thing she remembered was a vengeful Vaughan having returned to the Alienage with his friends right in the middle of the wedding with vulgar intentions for the women. She'd tried to protect everyone else, practically begging him to take her instead of Shianni and the other girls, but Vaughan had just laughed and refused, claiming that it wouldn't be much of a party with only one elven woman for him and his friends to play with. Then, one of his friends had suddenly smacked Zoë hard across the face and knocked her unconscious.

"Oh, thank the Maker you've finally come to!" Shianni breathed, throwing her arms around the older girl."We were so worried!"

Zoë moaned, rubbing her temples and looking at the others in concern."Is everyone alright?"

"For the moment we're all just scared, but unharmed." Valora said, biting her lower lip nervously."They locked us in here to wait until that bastard is ready for us!"

"Then we need to get out of here." Zoë said urgently."And fast at that."

"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath!" Another elven girl snapped."The door is locked and solid! Not to mention the fact that we are nothing more than five unarmed women! How can we possibly even **hope** to find a way out of here without getting caught?!"

"Maker keep us, Maker protect us, Maker keep us, Maker protect us..." Nola whispered nonstop in prayer from where she was kneeling by the door. Zoë frowned at the obvious fear in her friend's voice as she prayed, and somehow managed to keep from telling Nola that there was no point in praying to a pathetic _shemlen_ god who probably wasn't even listening or caring about the elves in the slightest. It was as clear as day to Zoë that all five of them were on their own here, as they always were really.

"Great, now this again." Shianni muttered with a sigh. Zoë knew Shianni would never back down without a fight, but the redhead wouldn't last a minute against any of the humans who'd taken them and so it was up to Zoë to protect her fellow elves from these lustful humans.

The elf who had snapped at Zoë just a moment ago gave a deep sigh and tried to reason with the other women."Look, we'll just do whatever it is they want us to do, go home, and try to forget any of this ever happened."

"She's right." Valora nodded."It'll be a lot worse if we resist."

"It'll be a lot worse if we **don't**!" Shianni argued.

"Someone's coming!" The third elf pointed toward the door.

"If you see an opportunity, take it." Everyone except for a still praying Nola nodded in response to Zoë's words as the door was swung open and several guardsmen walked inside led by the captain.

"Hello, wenches." The captain sneered."We're your escorts to Lord Vaughan's little party."

"Stay away from us!" Nola screamed, jumping up to her feet and glaring at him.

Before anyone could even blink, the captain had pulled out his sword and thrust it right into Nola's stomach and through her back. He roughly yanked the blade out, smirking as Zoë fell to her knees to catch the falling dark-haired elf's form in her arms. She watched in horror as Nola coughed up blood and desperately gasped for air once last time, the dying elven girl's blood staining Zoë's wedding dress as if it had always been a dark red crimson color instead of a pale white one, before her head fell back and her eyes shut as death slowly claimed her. The others girls gasped, backing away in shock and fear over what they'd just witnessed. Even Shianni looked like she was ready to throw up.

"You son of a bitch, you killed her!" Zoë shouted, tears of both anger and grief rolling down her cheeks at the sight and feeling of her dead friend's life slipping away in her arms.

The guardsman shrugged like Nola's life meant nothing."I guess that's just what happens when you try teaching whores some respect." He started giving orders to his men."Now, you grab the little flower cowering over there in the corner while Horace and I take the homely bride and the red-haired drunk." He pointed at Zoë."I suggest you two bind the last one. According to Lord Vaughan, she's the scrapper."

"Don't worry." One of the guards smiled as they backed Zoë into a wall."We'll be perfect gentlemen."

"Now, you heard the captain, missy. You'd best behave like a good little wench or else you'll end up like your stupid friend over there." The second guard jabbed a thumb at Nola's bloody stiff.

"Try it!" Zoë hissed."I'd love love to see what parts you lose in the process!"

The first guard laughed."Horace was right; she is a scrapper!"

"Um, hello?" The two guards twisted around to see Soris standing by the doorway with a small sword clutched tightly in his hands and a crossbow strapped behind his back. Zoë gave a triumphant smirk at the sight of her cousin but immediately frowned as she wondered where he'd gotten the weapons from and how he managed to get inside the Arl's palace in the first place.

"Oh look at this!" The first guard laughed again."It's a little elfling with a stolen sword!"

Soris rolled out of their reach when they tried to grab him and slid the sword across the floor to Zoë who swiped it off the floor with a wicked grin on her face as she saw the two guards turn pale with obvious fright.

"Oh, sod." The second guard muttered, shaking his head with a nervous gulp.

"Time to die!" Zoë declared before charging at them with a scream of pure hatred. The two guards both barely jumped aside in time as she thrusted the sword toward both of their throats and quickly spun around on her heel next to Soris, who'd taken out the crossbow from behind him and was already aiming an arrow at the first guard. The second guard drew his sword and swung at Zoë's neck, the female elf quickly spinning out of the way and kicking him hard in the shin. She managed to connect her sword with his, the two of them desperately trying to throw the other off balance.

With a loud shout, Zoë suddenly head butted her foe, swiftly shaking away the pain it brought to her skull due to his helmet and then raising her leg in a powerful kick to the chest that knocked him to the floor. She ran up to him, kicking him roughly in the back when he tried to get up and pinned him down with her knee. A strangled cry of agony escaped the guard as Zoë's sword plunged into his chest and through the floor boards, blood spilling beneath him and all over Zoë, but she simply couldn't bring herself to care about anything other than killing these humans for what they'd done to her people.

"Cousin, help!" Soris cried, barely able to keep the remaining guard at bay with his arrows. Zoë lunged for the guard, kicking away his sword and hitting him in the head with the pummel of her sword. She then slashed him right across the face, smiling dangerously at the sound of his bloodcurdling scream as his left eye was now gone and blood splattered from his face. She paid no attention to the complete look of horror on Soris's face at what she was doing and grabbed the screaming guard's arm, pulling him closer and shoving her sword into his stomach. A mix of a groan and a gasp came from deep within the guard's throat as his bloody form slowly fell to the floor.

"I can't believe they killed her!" Soris gasped, looking down in horror at Nola's lifeless form lying on the ground. He turned to Zoë, concern written across his face."They...didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"I'm fine, Soris." Zoë replied, kneeling next to one of the dead guards to loot his body for more weapons. She took a few daggers for herself and paused briefly, staring at the small sword Soris had tossed her and then giving him a questioning look."Where did you get a sword and crossbow from anyway? We both know you've never been much of a fighter and elves aren't exactly allowed to carry weapons."

"That Grey Warden, Duncan." Soris answered. Zoë had almost forgotten how she and Soris had met him shortly before the wedding ceremony was supposed to begin. He was an old friend of _Hahren_ Valendrian, having met him nearly twenty years ago while trying to recruit Adaia but changed his mind when Valendrian convinced him not to. For a _shem_, he seemed polite and honorable enough, but the female elf had other things to worry about at the moment so she quickly put aside all thoughts of the Grey Warden."He gave me and Nelaros his sword and crossbow, but that's all we have."

"Nelaros is here?" That certainly got her attention.

"He's the only reason we came here in the first place. He lost it on those who wanted to do nothing but 'hope for the best'. Even _Hahren_ Valendrian had lost all hope and I...had no idea what else to do." Soris hung his head sadly as he spoke, clearly ashamed of himself for having even considered giving up on his cousin, sister, and bride. Zoë stood up and clasped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He slowly looked up at her and she gave him a small smile.

"You're here now, aren't you? That's all that matters."

"Thanks. I couldn't just let him go alone."

"Where is he now?" She asked, going over to loot the other dead guard's body for more weapons.

"He's guarding the end of the hall. Once we get to him, we can figure this all out together."

"Lead the way, Soris." Zoë gestured toward the door."I certainly don't know which room is which in this place."

"This way." Soris beckoned for her to follow him and Zoë threw one last sad glance toward Nola's bloody corpse before exiting the room with him.

* * *

"What's this?!" A _shem_ jumped at the sound of the door being kicked open and twisted around to see Zoë and Soris."I don't recognize either of you two elves! Wait a second, is that blood all over you? You're bandits, rebels, outlaws! Just wait until the guards come and-agh!"

The _shem_ abruptly fell to the floor with a thud when an elven servant suddenly struck him in the head from behind. The elf scowled down at him and looked up to give Zoë and Soris a wry grin."You've no idea how long that _shem's_ had it coming." He stated coldly.

"Oh, I think I can imagine." Zoë said with a smirk."I'm Zoë by the way, and this is my cousin, Soris. I take it you work here?"

The elf nodded."Name's Adwen. I'm the cook's assistant. Aren't you one of the girls they brought in today?" Zoë nodded."If you're looking for the others, Lord Vaughan took them to his room. I'd hurry if I were you; he's not exactly...gentle with women, especially elven women."

"So I've heard." She grimaced."It's probably a good idea if you leave this place right now. I can't promise things will be pretty once we find that lecherous bastard."

"You don't have to tell me twice." The elf was already running for the door."I hope you give Vaughan everything he deserves when you get to him."

"I intend you." She stated firmly, waiting until the elven servant was gone then giving a nod to Soris as a sign for them to keep moving.

* * *

"Damn it!" Zoë hissed as they reached the dining room which was full of off-duty _shem_ guards. One of the guards jumped up from his seat and glowered at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Where did you get a weapon, elf?" He demanded, pointing at the daggers in Zoë's hands.

"Uh-oh." Soris said, backing away.

"You better talk quick, scum!" Another human growled.

"Sod it!" Zoë exclaimed. In a flash, she'd grabbed a kitchen knife from the table and flung it at at one of the_shems_, blood spattering from the now gaping wound in his throat as he crumbled to the floor. She punched another guard in the face, making him drop his sword and stunning him long enough for her to spin around and kick him in the neck. A smirk crossed her lips when she left his neck snap upon impact. The other guard tried to stab her in the back, but dropped his weapon with a yelp of pain when Soris shot an arrow into his arm. It was the momentary distraction Zoë needed to twist around and quickly slash the _shem_ across the chest.

"Maker's breath, how big is this damned palace!" She shouted in vexation.

* * *

"This way, hurry!" Soris said urgently as he and Zoë had almost reached the end of the hall where Nelaros was waiting for them. They came to an abrupt stop, however, at the appalling sight before them.

Nelaros'd barely turned to face them when a sword was suddenly plunged right through his back and chest, piercing his heart as well. Zoë watched in horror as her fiancé fell to the floor, dying as soon as the sword had been yanked out from his body. The captain of the guards, the very same _shem _who'd killed Nola, sneered in disgust when he saw the other two elves standing in front of him and two of his men. He pointed at them with a look of contempt on his face.

"See?" He asked his men."I told you there would be more. Elves always run in packs like nasty rodents."

"Should we keep the knife-eared bitch alive?" One guard flicked his head at Zoë.

The captain shook his head vehemently."They killed our boys, so she gets to die too."

"You killed Nelaros!" She screamed lividly.

The captain laughed loudly."He squealed like a stuck pig when he died. Let's see if you do too, wench."

Zoë let out an enraged scream as she practically pounced on the captain, knocking away his blade and starting to stab him multiple times in the chest, reveling in each and every cry and grunt of agony that escaped his lips as she continued her assault. The other two guards scrambled to help their captain, but one of them fell dead to the floor when two arrows from Soris hit him in the back while the other one received an arrow to the chest that killed him instantly. Soris hurried over to his cousin and somehow managed to pull her off of the dead captain.

Tears ran down Zoë's cheeks and she hastily brought up a hand to wipe them away but only succeeded in smearing more blood across her face. Her wedding dress was soaked in the blood of Nola, Nelaros, and all of the _shems_ she'd killed so far, along with the precious golden ribbons she'd used to tie up her long, equally gore-covered strawberry blonde hair. She willed herself not to cry; she'd only known Nelaros for less than a day and yet already she'd begun to grow so fond of him and enjoyed the idea of possibly sharing a future with him only for it all to come crashing down because of Vaughan Kendells and his lustful appetite and thirst for revenge.

She thought of Nola, such a sweet, pretty young girl who she'd been friends with her entire life, always so kind and caring toward anyone she met, even when she barely had anything for herself and her father Tormey. Dole filled Zoë's entire body as she couldn't bring herself to picture Tormey's reaction when he found out his beloved daughter, his only child was dead, having already went through the pain of losing Nola's mother just a few years ago not long after Adaia had died. Nola deserved so much better than to die at the hands of a _shemlen. _She also thought of Nelaros, laying dead right in front of her after dying while making sure she and the other women would be able to make it out of here alive.

If the Maker really did exist, then Zoë prayed to both Him and His bride Andraste and whatever gods the Dalish might have honored that both Nola and Nelaros and any other elf who died an undeserving because of Vaughan Kendells would finally be able to rest in peace once she found and killed that _shemlen_ noble for what he'd done.

Zoë untangled Soris's arms from around her and knelt down beside Nelaros's lifeless body, putting a hand over her mouth to muffle a gasp when she spotted a golden wedding ring sticking out of his pocket. She slowly reached out with a shaky hand to take the ring and slipped it onto her finger before pressing a kiss to her dead fiancé's cold forehead. She heard Soris choke on a sob and felt him place a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered softly and Zoë just lowered her head and put her face in her hands as she fought not to cry.

They stayed there for a long minute or two before slowly standing back up and making their way further through the palace to make sure that Nelaros's sacrifice was not in vain.

* * *

A bloodcurdling scream rang through the entire palace, causing Zoë and Soris to both freeze in place as they looked at each other in worry as the scream sounded a lot like it belonged to Shianni. When another scream followed just a second later, the two elves bolted toward the source of the sound, stopping in front of a locked wooden door that they both instantly knew led to Vaughan's room. Zoë growled loudly when she heard yet another scream that was this time followed by sadistic laughter. She felt her blood boil as she slammed her elbow hard against the wooden door, shouting words even she herself couldn't hear or understand because of how angry and determined she was to break down the damned door.

Every single nerve inside the elven girl practically snapped at the lurid sight that greeted her when she'd finally managed to kick the door open; Shianni lay battered, bruised, bloody, and naked on the floor, her wrists and ankles held down by two of Vaughan's friends while Vaughan himself was on top of her with his pants undone and forcing her legs around his waist. Tears ran down Shianni's face and when she turned to look at her cousin, Zoë saw nothing but red, a scream of pure fury escaping from her lips loud enough to make Vaughan and his two friends go pale with fear while Soris backed away from her, looking horrified.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY LITTLE COUSIN, YOU BASTARDS!" Zoë screamed at the top of her lungs, her face flushing with anger as Vaughan and his two friends did as they were told and scrambled away from Shianni. She fell to her knees beside Shianni, grabbing the redhead and pulling her into a tight hug as she felt Shianni's tears stain her already blood-soaked wedding dress. The enraged elf was literally shaking with fury and suddenly found it extremely difficult to breathe properly. She looked up at Vaughan, hearing his two friends gulp nervously when they saw the murderous glint in her dark brown eyes.

"I'm going to kill you, _shem_." She stated calmly."And I'm going to make you scream in pain like you've never screamed before while I'm doing it."

"All right." Vaughan said shakily, putting his hands up."Let's not get too hasty. Surely we can simply talk this over."

Zoë cackled with laughter that held no humor behind it, her expression like that of a madwoman as she threw her head back while laughing then gave the human noble a frighteningly calm look."Then talk." She smiled sweetly and inclined her head to the side.

"Please," Shianni whimpered through tears, clinging desperately to Zoë like a lifeline."... just get me out of here. I want to go home."

Zoë unconsciously stroked the sobbing girl's red hair, continuing to stare at the humans in front of her with a sweet, innocent, little smile."I'm listening, human. Please make it quick."

Vaughan cleared his throat nervously."Here's our situation; you are obviously quite skilled in battle and if we fight now, I've no doubt you'll be able to kill all of us without even trying." He straightened up a bit."My father won't let that go. Your pigsty of an Alienage will be burned to the ground. Or you can just turn and walk away right now with forty sovereign added to your purses."

"Forty sovereigns?" Soris gasped. No elf had ever lived to see that much money, let alone earning some of that for themselves.

Vaughan nodded."You take take that money and leave Denerim tonight with your family. No repercussions and you can go wherever you like."

"No repercussions?" Zoë repeated softly.

"No repercussions." He promised.

"But what about the women?" Soris questioned."Will you let them go too?"

"The women stay. They'll all go home tomorrow, slightly worse for fear, and you'll already be long gone." He replied."That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"That's a very tempting offer." Zoë said, slowly untangling herself from Shianni and going up to Vaughan. The nobleman smirked and offered her his hand to shake to seal the deal and she smiled sweetly back while starting to give him her hand when she suddenly punched him in the face instead, breaking his nose."Sadly, it's not tempting enough for me."

Still smiling sweetly, Zoë kicked Vaughan to the ground and took out a dagger, ignoring his desperate pleas for mercy as she got on top of him and plunged the dagger deep into his chest. She twisted it around a little, enjoying the scream of agony it drew from him and then yanked it back out and stood up, leaving him to die in a pool of his own blood on the cold marble floor.

Vaughan's two friends were shaking with fear, having backed into a wall and looking close to tears as she slowly approached them. They were soon dead at her feet too, though how she'd killed them she couldn't recall. The dagger fell from her hand as she felt Shianni pull her down to her knees in a hug, sobbing and begging to go home. Zoë said nothing, only held the redhead close to comfort her and examined her shaking, bloody hands with bloodshot eyes.

She'd been well aware of what she was doing as she took out all of Vaughan's guards but only once Vaughan Kendells himself was finally dead did Zoë Tabris realize that she was a coldblooded killer.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Next up: Chapter 11:All In This Together_


	15. Chapter 11:All In This Together

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."  
— John Holmes

**Chapter** **11:All In This Together**

* * *

_The air in the Alienage was anything but fresh, but for many elves it was home, home sweet home no matter how disgusting or smelly it could often be. A wry smile found it's way onto her lips as she took a breath of the nasty air, feeling a rather unusual but not at all unwelcome sense of warmth from her surroundings. The sun shined high in the sky, with no clouds threatening rain or snow to ruin the beautiful day, nor did even the smallest gust of wind blow. For once, it felt nice to thee there. No, not nice. It felt **good** to be there for the sole reason that it was home sweet home; the only home she'd ever known._

_"Cousin." A familiar voice drifted through the air. Zoë knew it all too well yet she still felt suprise when she turned to see Shianni standing right behind her, a bright smile on her face similar to the one she'd worn on the morning of that fateful day. The older elf stared at the redhead in complete and utter silence, unsure of what to say. There was no need, for Shianni soon spoke again, but her voice and face immediately became heavily laced with anger, sadness, and hurt._

_"Why didn't you save me?" Shianni demanded in such an icy tone that Zoë jumped back in shock. She blinked, wondering if she had truly heard right. She had. Hot tears began to run down Shianni's cheeks, her green dress turning into the torn one she was wearing right before Vaughan took her and..._

_"Why didn't you save me?" She repeated as bruises covered her entire face and body. It was a horrific sight for Zoë as the appalling memories began to cloud her mind. She shook her head vehemently in an attempt to rid herself of these odious images that were now running rampant through her head. Shianni grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, giving the elven rogue a violent shake while digging her nails into the skin of Zoë's shoulders, drawing blood. Zoë screamed as Shianni continued to shake her and once again repeated the question that Zoë desperately wished not to hear._

_"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME, COUSIN?!"_

* * *

Zoë bolted upright in her bedroll as she awoke, panting heavily and bathed in cold sweat, shivering. She put her face in her hands, fighting hard not to cry and mentally screaming at herself that crying wouldn't solve anything; it would do nothing but make her seem weak or pathetic and she reminded herself constantly that she was neither of those things.

The dreadful question from her dream rang through her head as she kept on repeating it over and over, trying and failing to find an answer. Why hadn't she saved Shianni? If only she had just been a little bit faster, if only she had just fought harder, if only it had just been **her** instead of Shianni, then maybe, just maybe, things could have been different and Shianni would be safe, Nola and Nelaros would still be alive, and everyone else who she cared about would be alright.

The elf shut her eyes tightly, then opened them to examine her hands. She'd washed off all the blood from herself and Jade had given her some Dalish armor to wear instead of the blood-soaked wedding dress. She was grateful for the change, but whenever she looked at her hands, all she saw was Vaughan's blood staining them. Vaughan Kendells was a lecherous cad who got what he deserved along with all of his guardsmen but for some reason, Zoë could not stop thinking about their lifeless bodies lying on the cold palace floor and their blood being more than enough to fill at least twenty tubs.

Was this what it felt like to kill someone? Regardless of whether or not they deserved to die? If so, then she wondered if she would ever be able to kill again for whatever reason without feeling so many different emotions at once. The experience was overwhelming, refusing to let the former city elf to find any sleep or peace. It was bad enough she couldn't stop thinking about her mother, who died to protect her and so many other elves from humans just like Vaughan, now she had to keep on reliving the day she'd failed to protect her little cousin too? If the Maker really did exist, then he obviously couldn't care less about the suffering of elves, dwarves, qunari, mages, and humans alike. Andraste was a fool for having placed Her trust in some god who had long since abandoned His people and had gotten exactly what She deserved for Her stupidity.

Zoë groaned miserably as she kicked the covers off and pulled her knees to her chest, knowing that sleep would not be something she'd be getting anytime soon. She looked up suddenly at the sound of someone singing softly in a language she did not understand yet the song itself was a very lovely tune especially for elven ears. Peeking out of her tent, Zoë spotted Jade sitting by the campfire with Valerie, Regina, and Natasha who were all listening in silent awe to the raven-haired huntress's pretty song.

"_Hahren na melana sahlin  
emma ir abelas  
souver'inan isala hamin  
vhenan him dor'felas  
in uthenera na revas_

_vir sulahn'nehn  
vir dirthera  
vir samahl la numin  
vir lath sa'ir'vunin_."

Jade's voice was audible enough for those around her to hear but quiet enough as to avoid waking up the men. Zoë could tell the song was in Elvish, though the only word she could recognize and translate in the common tongue was 'Hahren' which she knew meant elder, but the rest of the words were a mystery to the city elf. Regardless, she couldn't help but listen to the tune, finding it to be the most euphonious sound she'd ever heard. It brought a small smile to her face despite how sad the song sounded as well. Some might call it bittersweet, which it was truly.

"That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard, Jade." Valerie smiled widely, clapping her hands together lightly in quiet applause.

"Do your people really sing songs like that?" Regina asked.

A sad smile crossed Jade's lips as she nodded."It is a pleasing tune for the ears to hear but at the same time it is also a bit of a sting to the _vhenan _as it was once sung for those of the _Elvhenan_ who went into _uthenera_ and even though my people still live longer than most, we are no longer immortal and so we now only sing this song when mourning our dead. I thought it would be nice for you to hear since I know you are still mourning over your family, Valerie, and also for the lost souls of Zoë betrothed and childhood friend, but most certainly not for the lecherous _shemlen_ she killed. He deserved his fate without a doubt."

"Vaughan was one of my many suitors, actually." Valerie stated, gently petting a sleeping Leonard on the head."He flirted with me in the most disrespectful way possible and even bragged almost what he did to the city elves. I could've easily gutted him with my dagger right then and there but Leonard bit him hard on the hand when he tried to kiss me and chased him out of the room. Fergus then threatened to kill him if he ever went near me again and both of my parents literally kicked him out of our castle, much to my relief, I might add. I hope it hurt when she killed him."

Zoë lowered her head."It did." She blurted out without realizing it until everyone's eyes landed on her. A brief flash of anger crossed her expression for a moment as she recalled everything that had just several hours ago."I made sure of that."

"Looks like we're not the only ones who couldn't get any sleep." Natasha remarked wryly.

"I thought I heard someone kicking around and muttering in their sleep." Jade said with a small smile as she beckoned the other elf closer."Come, join us by the fire if you cannot sleep, _lethallan_. All five of us seem to have much on our minds at the moment."

"You got that right." Regina murmured.

"I, for one, am wondering what it's actually going to be like fighting the darkspawn when we become Grey Wardens." Natasha said, crossing her arms.

"Tamlen and I fought a few darkspawn in the cave where we found the mirror," Jade said thoughtfully,", but most of them were animals. I am also quite curious about what a regular darkspawn might look like. Duncan still refuses to give me or Tamlen any details about how joining the Grey Wardens will cure us of the taint and even I cannot help but feel the need to question his secrecy."

Valerie inclined her head."Once we reach Ostagar, maybe he'll start telling us more about the Grey Wardens and why so such secrecy is involved when joining them." Jade nodded in agreement.

"I hope so." Zoë said with a sigh."If circumstances were slightly different about twenty years ago and _Hahren_Valendrian hadn't talked Duncan out of it, my mother would have probably been the one to join the Grey Wardens instead of me."

"Duncan mentioned something about Adaia dying while protecting you and your neighbors." Regina said with frown."Is that true?"

Zoë smiled sadly and nodded."I have nightmares about it sometimes, actually."

"_Ir abelas._" Jade whispered, placing a hand on Zoë's shoulder."May the Dread Wolf never find her. I'm sure she would have been very proud of you right now."

"That's what my father said too." Zoë said quietly before looking up at the huntress with a grateful smile that was hesitantly returned."I think both of you are right."

"Um, Jade," Regina said rather hesitantly,", that song you were just singing for us. What do the lyrics mean in the common tongue?"

Jade pressed her lips together."I am afraid I do not know, _lethallan_. Both your people and my people have lost much of our lore and despite what we have found over the years, there are some things we might never discover, or at least until several more decades or centuries have passed. From what I was told as a _da'len_, only the _gisir_ and _hahren'en_ of our clan know the translation for this particular tune and others like it, but as I said earlier there is still much more to be found in order for our people to finally fully regain what we have lost because of the _shemlen_." She nodded at Valerie and Natasha."My apologies if I have offended either of you with my choice of words. I hold no bitterness toward you for what your ancestors might or might not have done in the past, but as your people are quiet fond of saying, old habits die hard. _  
_

"No need to apologize, Jade, it's perfectly understandable given the conflicts between your people and mine." Valerie assured her with a small smile.

"At least your people don't imprison your mages." Natasha said bitterly."My people's stupid Chantry teaches us to fear our magic whereas **your** people are **led** by what the Circle likes to call apostates."

"It's a lot worse in the Alienage, trust me." Zoë huffed.

"Yes," Jade agreed,", Pol mentioned how difficult the city elves have it if they are unable to find work as servants for the _shemlen_ or any other decent job."

Zoë's head snapped up."You know Pol?"

"Indeed. He found my clan a good few weeks ago after escaping being hanged for picking a guard's pocket while being slightly inebriated after the recent death of his mother. One of my fellow hunters, Junar, was tasked by the keeper to train him in archery and hunting. I have yet the chance to hunt with him, but Junar says he is a very quick learner and capable of pulling his own weight around like any other _Elvhen _hunter should."

"Well, if I ever see my family again, I'll be sure to tell Soris that he owes me a great deal of coin now that I've won the bet."

Jade smiled, though the smile quickly vanished as she unconsiously started playing with a small necklace clasped around her neck. Zoë had to lean in slightly to see properly the carved shape of the sun in the middle of the necklace along with several carvings of clouds and birds surrounding it. The trinket itself looked as if it had been carved by a very talented Dalish craftsman a long time ago. It was obvious due to the distant look in Jade's light blue eyes that she was in deep thought and that whoever had given her this necklace must have been someone who loved her dearly.

"It was my father's in case you were wondering." Zoë snapped back to reality at the sound of Jade's soft voice as she smiled sadly at the former city elf while continuing to play with the necklace."My foster mother, Ashalle, gave it to me a few years ago when she felt I was old enough to have it."

"What was he like?" Regina queried softly.

"A lot like me, I'm told." She replied."Kind, merciful, wise, friendly, would have done anything for his people, wanted nothing more than for humans and elves to finally be able to find peace one day and put our differences aside for the sake of peace. He was the keeper of my clan for a very long time before his First and my current keeper Marethari took over several years ago."

Zoë hesitated."What happened to him?"

Jade closed her eyes tightly."He died." She whispered."He was killed by humans and city elves before I was born." She quickly wiped away a small tear from one of her eyes and mumbled something about wanting to turn in for the night now before standing up and heading toward her tent, trying to ignore the feeling of the other four women staring sadly after her as she walked away. Uncomfortable silence settled between the remaining women until Valerie finally broke it.

"I guess she was right about one thing." The blonde sighed quietly."At least my parents were there to raise me."

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Hahren/Hahren'en - Elder/Elders_

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Lethallan - (Female) Friend/Kinswoman_

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) Elven name for their own race._

_Uthenera - (Literally: Eternal waking dream) Waking sleep, immortal_

_Ir abelas - I'm sorry _

_Lyrics to the Elvish Eulogy:_

_Elvish:  
_

_"Hahren na melana sahlin  
emma ir abelas  
souver'inan isala hamin  
vhenan him dor'felas  
in uthenera na revas_

_vir sulahn'nehn  
vir dirthera  
vir samahl la numin  
vir lath sa'vunin."_

_English:_

_"Elder your time is come  
now I am filled with sorrow  
weary eyes need resting  
heart has become grey and slow  
in waking sleep is freedom_

_we sing, rejoice  
we tell the tales  
we laugh and cry  
we love one more day."_

_Next up: Chapter 12:Ostagar_


	16. Chapter 12:Witch Of The Wilds

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch."  
— Catherynne M. Valente (In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales, #1))

**Chapter 12:Witch Of The Wilds**

* * *

"Remind me **never** to get injured **anywhere** near you."

Standing up to clean the dead soldier's blood off her dagger, Zoë cast a discrete glance over her shoulder to Alistair, whose eyes were narrowed as he looked down at the stiff at his feet. The elven girl sheathed her dagger and turned to face Alistair with a grimace.

"Don't ever get injured around me, _shem_." She repeated with a shrug.

"W-What?" Cullen stuttered, eyes wide.

"He told her to remind him never to get injured around her." Natasha stated icily, arms crossed."So she did."

"Does the word '**insane**' mean anything to you women?!" Alistair demanded, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"No." Natasha and Zoë answered in unison. The two women exchanged smirks before walking over to Jade who was looking closely at the map while they searched for the outpost where the Grey Warden treaties were supposed to be. Jade lowered the map and flicked her head forwards as a sign for everyone to follow her, though the group froze in place when Jory started rambling again.

"Did you hear that?! An entire patrol of seasoned men killed by darkspawn!" At his words, Natasha rolled her eyes but was whatever retort or insult she wished to give the pathetic excuse for a knight was interrupted by an equally annoyed looking Ser Gilmore.

"I have **never**, in all my years of knighthood, **ever** met someone as idiotic and cowardly as **you**, Ser Jory." The redhead spoke calmly but with more than just a little bit of venom in his tone of voice to make it clear to the other knight that he was purposely severely insulting both his pride and strength as a warrior.

"I am not a coward!" Ser Jory defended angrily."But this is foolish and reckless! We should go back now while we still have the chance."

"You sound like a coward to me." Jade retorted over her shoulder, hearing Valerie snort in both amusement and agreement.

"And an idiot." Natasha added with another roll of her eyes. Jory immediately turned to the mage and the huntress with an indignant frown on his face, crossing his arms over his chest in a poor attempt to look superior, which caused Valerie to snort again.

"I am merely just trying to stay alive!" He exclaimed, uncrossing his arms with a pathetic scowl."You don't see me fleeing, do you?!"

"Not yet we don't." Tamlen muttered under his breath. Jory turned to him with a retort on the tip of his tongue, only to stop short when he saw Tamlen raise a challenging eyebrow at him, practically daring him to say something in response, and very quickly, the human knight shut his mouth with a nervous gulp.

Alistair cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention to him."Know this: all Grey Wardens can sense the darkspawn. Whatever their cunning, they will not take us by surprise. That's why I'm here."

Daveth scoffed, raising an eyebrow."Oh, so we'll die, but be warned about it first?"

"How very reassuring." Jory snapped sarcastically.

"What on earth did Duncan see in these two dolts?" Natasha murmured to Regina, who shrugged in reply whilst her green eyes glinted with exasperation over Jory and Daveth's irrational fear about things that did not exist. That was when Zoë spotted something not too far up ahead of them and pointed in that direction.

"Look!" All eyes followed the direction of Zoë's finger toward the very outpost they'd now spent hours looking for. Jade gave the former city elf a curt nod of approval before the two of them ran ahead of everyone else and looked around for where the treaties could possibly be. Zoë tapped Jade lightly on the shoulder to get her attention and pointed at a nearby chest. The two women hurried over to the chest and knelt down to take a closer look inside, only to see it was already open and completely empty save for all of the dust and dirt gathered around inside of it.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A sultry voice purred. Jade and Zoë both twisted around to see an unfamiliar human woman descending down the staircase, her extremely light green, almost yellow eyes studying them closely as if she was sizing up a pair of cows for a slaughter. The woman was no doubt beautiful; her long raven hair was pinned up in a chignon as she swayed the hips of her lithe body in an almost seductive manner while calmly walking down the staircase and smirking at the two elves. Based on the staff behind her back, Jade figured she was what the _shemlen_ might call an apostate.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder?" She continued, studying her nails with feigned disinterest in her tone."A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?" Her smirk widened slightly."Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" The smirk slowly vanished from her lips as she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at the group of Grey Wardens."What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

"Intruder?" Zoë questioned, meeting the dark-haired woman's suspicious stare with her own."And just **how** are these **your** Wilds?"

The woman tittered in response as if the question was a funny joke of some kind. Both Cullen and Alistair shuddered at the rather frightening way in which she laughed and seeing their reaction only made her laugh a little louder before turning her attention back to Zoë."Because I know them as only one who owns them could. Can you claim the same, elf?" She didn't wait for a response from the elf, instead just uncrossed her arms and walked ahead of them."I have watched your progress for some time. Where do they go, I wondered, why are they here?" She slowly turned to face them, once again folding her arms over her chest."And now you disturb ashes that no one has touched for so long. Why is that?"

"Don't answer her." Alistair whispered."She looks Chasind and that means others may be nearby."

Hearing this, the woman laughed loudly and threw her arms up in a very exaggerated manner."Do you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"

"Yes, swooping is bad." He muttered under his breath. Natasha and Regina both rolled their eyes at him.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is!" Daveth cried."She'll turn us all into toads!"

"Witch of the Wilds?" The woman repeated with a sigh and shake of her head."Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" She turned back to Zoë and Jade, gesturing toward them with her hand."You two. Elves such as yourselves certainly do not frighten and cower like little boys. Tell me your names and in return I shall tell you both mine."

Jade stepped forward, arms crossed across her chest in a polite bow to the woman."I am Jade Mahariel and this my fellow warden, Zoë Tabris."

Zoë nodded curtly."A pleasure to meet you."

The woman smiled."Now **that** is a proper civil greeting, even here in the Wilds. You may call me Morrigan. Shall I guess your purpose here, then? You sought something in that chest over there? Something which is here no longer?"

"Here no longer?" Alistair repeated impatiently."You stole them, didn't you? You're some kind of...sneaky..witch-thief!"

"And I thought **I** was bad at insulting people." Regina muttered to Natasha, who nodded in agreement.

"How very eloquent." Morrigan remarked, rolling her eyes."Tell me, how does one steal from dead men, fool?"

"Quite easily, it seems." He replied."Those documents are Grey Warden property. I suggest you return them to us at once."

"I will not, for 'twas not I who removed them." She retorted angrily."Feel free to invoke a name that means absolutely nothing here any longer if you wish, but I am not at all threatened by your presence here, warden."

"Then who removed them?" Valerie asked, stepping forward and ignoring Alistair completely with a simple wave of her hand. Morrigan turned to the blonde, her lips slowly twisting into a wry smirk.

"'Twas my mother, in fact." She answered calmly.

"Can you take us to her then?" Jade requested.

Morrigan nodded in something resembling approval."Now **there** is a sensible request. I like you."

Alistair stiffened slightly."I'd be careful if I were you. First it's, I like you, but then zap! Frog time."

"She will put us all in the pot, she will!" Daveth shook his head."Just you watch!"

Jory huffed."If the pot is a lot warmer than this stupid forest, it'd be a nice change in my opinion."

Morrigan rolled her eyes at the three fearful fools then nodded at both Jade and Zoë."Follow me, then. If it pleases you."

* * *

Morrigan led them to a hut where an old woman who was obviously her mother stood in front of a bonfire. The old woman looked up as they approached and crossed her arms when Morrigan gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Greetings, Mother." She said."I bring before you several Grey Wardens who-"

Nodding, the old woman held up a hand to interrupt her."I see them, girl." She studied them all for a moment before pressing her lips together and nodding again in apparent approval."Hmm, yes, much as I expected."

Alistair snorted."Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?"

"You are required to do nothing, young man, least of all believe. You can shut your eyes tight or open your arms wide, but either way, you're still a fool." She stated calmly.

"She's a witch, I tell you!" Daveth never knew when to shut up."We shouldn't be talking to her!"

"Be quiet, Daveth!" Jory snapped."If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad or something?!"

"There is a smart lad." Morrigan's mother remarked dryly."Sadly irrelevant to the much larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." She then turned to Jade and Zoë with a raised eyebrow."And what of you two? Do your elven and female minds give either of you a different viewpoint? Or do you believe as these foolish boys over here do?"

Zoë shrugged lightly."I don't think either of us are sure what to believe." Jade nodded her head in agreement.

The old woman smiled."A statement that actually possesses much more wisdom than it truly implies. Be always aware, or it is oblivious?" She scratched her head with a small shrug of her shoulders."I can never really remember. So much about you is uncertain and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!"

Alistair quirked an eyebrow."So, **this** is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds then?"

The old woman scoffed harshly at his words."Witch of the Wilds, huh? No doubt Morrigan must have told you that. I know she fancies such tales, though she would certainly never admit it. Oh, how she dances under the moon!" She cackled at her own jest.

"They did not come to listen to your wild tales, Mother." Morrigan groaned, holding her head in her hands.

"True." Her mother nodded in agreement."They came for their treaties, yes? And before any of you begin barking at me, wardens, your precious seal wore off a very long time ago. I have protected these for you."

"You-" Alistair trailed off with slightly wide eyes as he slowly accepted the documents from Morrigan's mother."Oh, you protected them?"

"And why not?" She shrugged."Take these treaties back to your fellow Grey Wardens and be sure to tell them that this blight's threat is far greater than they realize!"

Jade nodded respectfully."We will. _Ma serannas_ for returning them."

"Such manners!" She smiled widely."Always in the last place you look! Like stockings!" She waved a dismissive hand at the confused look on the huntress's face."Oh, do not mind me. You have what you came for now, don't you?"

"Time for you to go then." Morrigan stated, arms crossed.

"Do not be ridiculous, girl!" Her mother chided."These are your guests, after all!"

"Oh, very well." Morrigan sighed, uncrossing her arms and nodding at the wardens."I will show you out of the woods. Follow me everyone."

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Next up: Chapter 14:The Weak and The Strong_


	17. Chapter 13:The Weak and The Strong

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"The weak die out and the strong will survive, and will live on forever"  
— Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank)

**Chapter 13:The Weak and The Strong**

* * *

Out of all the people Duncan had recruited on his way to Ostagar, Zoë Tabris was the only one who had been all alone when he conscripted her. Jade and Tamlen were both from the same clan, Valerie and Ser Gilmore were both from Highever, Natasha, Regina, and Cullen all came from the Circle, and Jory and Daveth had both been recruited at least a week or two before them. So, the former city elf found herself standing nervously in between Jory and Daveth while they waited for the joining to begin.

According to Duncan, not everyone usually survived the ritual that involved becoming a Grey Warden and whilst most of the recruits were conversing with one another about what might or might not happen, Zoë was forced to watch and listen to Jory pacing like a madman alongside an equally annoyed Daveth, who for once, seemed to have at least a little bit more sense than the pathetic excuse for a knight. If Zoë didn't know any better, she might have actually looked forward to fighting side-by-side with this man, even if he was very irksome at times. Perhaps now that playtime was finally over, this _shem_ could prove himself to be much more wiser and noble than Zoë had originally thought upon first meeting him barely a day ago.

Shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her fists almost painfully at her sides, Zoë took in several deep breaths in mental preparation for what was to come. In just one quick second, she could easily recall the most precious memories of her childhood teenage years, and early stages of adulthood; everything that all eventually led right up to this one moment. She sent a silent prayer to whatever god Adaia was now with, thanking her mother for all of her teachings involving self-defense, fighting, daggers, and even a little bit of swordplay as well for all her love and devotion when it came to family and friends who needed one another more than anything. The memories were painful, but they also gave her the strength she needed if she wanted to prove to both herself and anyone who doubted her that she was **not** weak.

No; a weakling could not have been able to take down all of those guards back at the Arl of Denerim's place, a weakling could not have managed to kill Vaughan Kendells without even giving him a chance to react, a weakling would never have received the honor of becoming a Grey Warden and thus do something her mother had dreamed of doing for her entire life. Cyrion was right about one thing when Zoë had come to say goodbye to him and the rest of her family before leaving with Duncan; Adaia would have been pleased at what her daughter had accomplished. No; pleased was not the right word, nor was proud. She would have been honored to have had such a strong, brave, beautiful, and amazing daughter like Zoë. Of that, Zoë had no doubt.

"The more I hear about this joining, the less I like it." Jory said, finally pausing in his pacing and slumping his shoulders.

Daveth shot him a look of disbelief mixed with irritation."Are you blubbering again?"

Zoë snorted, rolling her eyes."When **isn't** he blubbering?"

"Why all these damned tests?!" Jory demanded, throwing his hands up in frustration."Have I not earned my place?!"

Daveth rolled his eyes."Maybe it's tradition or maybe they're just trying to annoy you."

"Maybe you two need to shut up." Zoë muttered under her breath, thought neither of them were paying any attention to her. Alistair stood to the side, arms crossed and head lowered as he snuck quick glances at each of the recruits as if this was the last time he would ever see them.

"I only know that my wife is in Highever with a child on the way." Jory continued, lowering his head."If they had warned me, I..." He let out a sigh and shook his head."It just doesn't seem fair..."

"Would you have come if they had warned you?" Daveth retorted. He didn't wait for any type of response from the knight."Maybe that's why they don't. The wardens do what they must, after all, right?"

"Including sacrificing us?!" Jory exclaimed.

"I'd sacrifice a whole lot more if I knew it would end the blight." Daveth's words caused Zoë's eyes to widen briefly before narrowing as she nodded in agreement. Crossing her arms, she took a small step closer toward the two men.

"You make a good point, Daveth." Daveth nodded at her then turned back to Jory, looking more confident and serious than one would have expected from someone as annoying and caddish as him.

"You saw those darkspawn, Ser knight. Wouldn't you die to protect your pretty wife and unborn child from them?"

"I..."

"Maybe you'll die, maybe we'll all die, but if no one stops the darkspawn and ends this blight, then every single one of us will die for sure."

Jory sighed, nodding reluctantly."I've just never faced a foe that I could not simply engage with my blade."

"At last we come to the joining." Duncan spoke calmly as he approached the recruits with an expression on his face that Zoë couldn't quite recognize."The Grey Wardens were founded during the first blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank the blood of the darkspawn and mastered their taint."

Jory turned whiter than a sheet."We are...going to drink the blood of those...creatures?"

Duncan nodded."Just as the first Grey Wardens did before us and as we did before you. **This** is the source of our power as well as our victory."

Alistair cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention."Those who survive the joining become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon."

"We speak only a few words before the joining, but they have been said since the first one that took place so long ago." Duncan stated then nodded at Alistair."Alistair, if you would?"

Alistair nodded, lowering his head and beginning to speak in a soft, almost sad tone of voice."Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot ever be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten by us and that someday, we shall join you."

"Mind if I go first, milady?" Daveth asked Zoë with a small grin.

The elf rolled her eyes at him, but grinned dryly and nodded."Be my guest."

"Step forward, Daveth." Duncan said. The rogue immediately went right up to Duncan and practically snatched the goblet from his hands, drinking down all of it's contents almost ravenously before thrusting it back to Duncan. Both Alistair and Duncan started backing away as they seemed to be waiting for something to happen and very soon that something happened.

Daveth suddenly let out a scream of agony as he clawed at his throat and coughed violently. His eyes rolled to the back of his head while he fell to the ground and less than a second later, he stopped moving and breathing completely. Jory started backing, his expression aghast.

"Maker's breath!" The knight gasped.

"_Mythal_ have mercy on this poor soul." Jade murmured, looking just as aghast as the other recruits.

Alistair looked away to hide the look of remorse and sadness on his face as Duncan knelt down to gently close Daveth's lifeless eyes."I am sorry, Daveth." He whispered. A sigh escaped his lips as he slowly turned to a terrified Jory.

"Step forward, Ser Jory." He commanded, but the knight just continued backing away while shaking his head vigorously.

"But I have a wife!" He cried."And child! If I had known-"

"There is no turning back." Duncan replied, continuing to approach the knight while thrusting the goblet toward him.

"N-No!" Jory stuttered, shaking his head and reaching for his blade."You ask too much!"

A brief flash of sadness crossed Duncan's face as he sighed quietly and quickly took out a dagger when the knight tried to stab him. Jory didn't stand a chance. Before anyone could even blink, Duncan had plunged his dagger into Jory's abdomen in just one swift movement and soon Jory was lying dead at the Grey Warden's feet in a pool of his own blood. The look of shock on Natasha's face was almost immediately replaced by cold anger as she clenched her fists tightly and spit right on Jory's corpse.

"Stupid coward." She scowled down at his stiff.

With a sigh, Duncan turned his attention to Regina, only for Natasha to shove the elven mage aside and snatch the goblet from Duncan for herself. The chestnut-haired-mage closed her eyes before bringing the cup to her lips and swallowing. Everyone watched and waited until Natasha gave a sharp cry of pain but instead of clawing at her throat like Daveth, her eyes merely rolled to the back of her head as she fell backwards onto the ground with a soft thud.

"She will live." Duncan declared.

Zoë took a deep breath to calm herself and then cleared her throat to bring Duncan's attention to her, giving him a small nod while reaching out for the goblet. She slowly took it from him, taking another deep breath before drinking down as much of the disgusting liquid as she could. The elf swallowed slowly, causing a terrible pain to erupt in her head and throat as she cried out in pain at the top of her lungs. She felt her eyes roll back and then she suddenly saw an eerie green sky in front of her eyes but that was not all. There was a big black dragon. No, not a dragon. The archdemon. Yes, it had to be the archdemon. She could hear voices though what the voices were saying or which language the voices were speaking in she could not tell. The archdemon slowly turned to face her, it's terrifying gaze tearing right into her soul as it let out a roar so loud that Zoë was sure her ears would bleed.

That was when a bright light then suddenly flashed right before her eyes for less than a second before everything went black.

* * *

"I can't believe they're using us as errand boys while they go off and do the real fighting." Tamlen muttered under his breath. Alistair grumbled his agreements, having decided not to hide how unhappy he was with their orders now that Duncan was not here at the moment to scold him or give him an 'You have no say in this' look. In fact, the human man was now complaining nonstop like an annoying _da'len_. Regina, Zoë, and Jade all shared an exasperated look of agreement while the huntress unconsciously scratched Leonard's ears. Since Valerie was going into battle with the other Grey Wardens and the king and knew that the hounds would be the first line of defense, the former noblewoman had asked Jade to take Leonard with her and the others when they went to light the beacon for Loghain's men, which the elf agreed to do without hesitation.

It made sense given the fact that Jade was literally the only person in the entire world who Leonard ever allowed to touch him except for Valerie, who claimed that there was just something about the elf that made Leonard almost as attached to her as he was to his mistress. Leonard had whimpered in protest as Valerie patted him lightly on the head and assured him that she would be fine and would come back soon but did not try to run away or resist at all when Jade gently took him by the collar and dragged him away from Valerie.

"Can I ask you something, Jade?" Regina queried.

Jade nodded curtly."What is it, _lethallan_?"

"How do you say 'shut up' in Elvish?

Jade pressed her lips together, thinking about it for a moment before replying."The most closest translation I can come with for that phrase would be _hollen na anto._"

"What about 'thank you'?"

"The phrase we use to express our gratitude would be _ma serannas_."

"_Ma serannas_ for telling me then." The mage replied with a curt nod then slowly turned her attention to a still complaining Alistair who Tamlen was somehow able to ignore. She took a few steps closer to the human, tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and as soon as he turned to face her, she shouted right in his face."_Hollen na anto _already, will you?! Your complaining is giving me an earache!"

That being said, she turned away from the now confused, surprised, and silent human man and gave Jade another curt nod of thanks before taking her staff from behind her and lazily leaning forwards against the bridge without any regard for a completely baffled Alistair or slightly surprised and also impressed Tamlen, who allowed a wry smirk to briefly cross his lips before it vanished and he went back to ignoring everything and everyone else around him.

Jade cast a glance at Tamlen from the corner of her eye, catching the way he stiffened when he noticed her gaze on him and stifled a sigh as he looked anywhere but at her. It was still with the silent treatment between the two of them. Tamlen had basically done everything so far in order to avoid having any type of conversation with Jade. By the Dread Wolf, he'd even had dinner with the other male _shemlen_ wardens **just** to keep as far away as possible from his clan mate! She nearly scoffed at the irony in that; he, Tamlen of the Sabrae Clan, who**hated** all humans with a passion, preferred to listen to and watch their terrible eating habits instead of talking with her when **he** was the one who would always chide her for not talking about things that bothered her back when they were still just _len_.

"Jade?" Zoë's voice snapped the huntress from her thoughts.

"Yes, _lethallan_?"

"What does that mean?"

"_Lethallan_?"

Zoë nodded."You always call me and the other female wardens _lethallan_ but you call Tamlen _lethallin_, and I aways wonder what it means."

Jade smiled."The literal translation is unknown, but roughly, we believe it means 'friend' or 'kinsman'. It is what we Dalish call one another. I refer to you, Regina, Valerie, and Natasha as _lethallan_ because you are female and I refer to Tamlen as _lethallin_ because he is male."

"Your people's language sounds fascinating." Regina remarked with a small smile as she leaned lazily on her staff. Zoë nodded in agreement.

"There are your people just as much as they are mine, _lethallan_." Jade replied."It is said that we shall one day once again have land of our own where we will teach your people the lore you lost and your people will teach mine how to live with the _shemlen_ together as a peaceful people." She sighed."For the time being, however, I fear that saying is just an _era, _or dream as the common tongue translates it to be." She lowered her eyes as she spoke and started playing with the keeper ring on her finger, slipping it off and examining it so closely that it looked to Regina and Zoë like she was searching for her father's face in the ring.

"Did that also belong to your father?" Regina asked.

Jade nodded, smiling sadly."He wore it during his time as keeper of my clan. Keeper Marethari gave it to me before Tamlen and I left the clan to become Grey Warens with Duncan."

"Do you know what his name was?" Zoë asked quietly.

"Magnus." The huntress replied without hesitation."Magnus Mahariel. My mother's name was Lara Tarsis. I never knew her either."

"What happened to her?"

Jade hesitated."It is a sad tale, but our people have learned to live with and embrace much of our sorrow and we strive to learn of our past, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to repeat it. My mother was a hunter, like me, one of the finest of her clan. She met my father at an _Arlathvhen_, the gathering of the clans that occurs every ten years for about two days at most during which we have celebration and our keeper trade what parts of our lost lore each clan has found over the years, but that's not my point." She let out another sigh."The point is, she met my father at one of those gatherings and they fell in love, but the keeper of my mother's clan did not approve of the match, so it was a forbidden love, as the _shemlen_ might call it. And because of these...circumstances, she and my father had to meet in secret, alone at night, under the stars, and at some point, those little trysts of theirs resulted in me being conceived." She gave a small smile though it quickly became a frown."One night, a group of bandits that included humans and city elves, as I mentioned to you a few nights ago by the fire, caught them alone in the forest and ambushed them. The clan had heard my mother screaming for help and they came as fast as the wind to their aid, killed all of the bandits, and saved my mother...but they were too late to save my father. He died that night, protecting both me and my mother while I was still in her womb." The huntress shut her eyes tightly as she fought hard not to start crying like a _da'len_."M-My mother was s-so d-devastated and... broken over the death of my father that o-one night not too long after she gave birth to me...she just walked into the moonlight and never returned. I was told that she killed herself so she could be with my father, but in my book, she abandoned me in her grief and left me in the care of my father's clan without even a hint of hesitation."

"I'm so sorry." Zoë whispered."I shouldn't have-"

"N-no, it's okay." She interrupted, a sad smile slowly crossing her lips."In a way, I'm upset but I'm also a little happy that at least they can finally be together in the afterlife and that they're watching over me now along with the Creators and our ancestors. And one day, when my time has come, I'll join them there, but for now, may _Falon'Din__, _with the help of his brother, _Dirthmen, _guide their souls into the beyond."

"Are those the names of your gods or something?" Regina inquired.

"Yes." She said with a nod and then gestured at the tattoos on her face."_Falon'Din, _a friend of the dead, guides the souls of our dead to the beyond, and his twin brother is _Dirthmen, _the keeper of secrets. My _vallaslin_ represents _Dirthmen._"

"So your tattoos each represent one of the Creators?" The elven mage looked very interested and in awe by what she was hearing and so was Zoë.

"Indeed." Jade replied."We choose the design we want and receive our _vallaslin_ when the keeper believes we are ready. The ritual is done in silence and even the smallest cry of pain will result in our ascendance into adulthood being delayed until the keeper decides that we are truly ready to endure the pain with pride and in complete silence. If you wish, after the battle, I could teach the two of you the stories of the Creators as well as our people's history and the language we speak."

Both Regina and Zoë looked at one another in excitement before turning back to Jade and nodding eagerly."Yes!" They both cried in unison.

Jade smiled."Then I will teach you." Her smile slowly vanished as she noticed that the king's forces were already beginning to prepare to fight once again against the darkspawn for the fourth, and hopefully the final time.

No one could have predicted how far they truly were from ending the blight that night.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive, criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations: _

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Lethallan - (Female) Friend/Kinswoman _

_Lethallin - (Male) Friend/Kinsman _

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Falon'Din - (Literally: Friend Of The Dead) Elven god of the dead who guides the elven people's dead souls into the Beyond. Twin brother of Dirthamen. _

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deciet. _

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Hollen na anto - Shut your mouth_

_Era - Story/Tale/Dream_

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Len - Child/Children _

_Arlathvhen (Literally: For the love of the people) Meeting of the Dalish clans that occurs every ten years._

_Next up: Chapter 15:Survival__  
_


	18. Chapter 14:Survival

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."  
— Haruki Murakami

**Chapter 14:Survival**

* * *

_"_Ma'isala pann na'inan, da'len_."_

_The unfamiliar deep male voice spoke calmly and simply as if nothing was amiss, though the urgency behind the voice's words was unmistakeable. It was not until she felt a hand stroke her head gently, however, that Jade did as the voice commanded and her light blue eyes slowly fluttered open. She was surprised to see that she was lying on the soft grass of the forest with her head resting comfortably on someone else's lap. The raven- haired huntress slowly sat up, feeling the person whose lap her head once rested in just a moment ago place a hand on her shoulder to help her sit up._

_Keeping her gaze straight ahead, Jade immediately took in the breathtaking place that she was in. The sun shined high in the sky without a single cloud threatening rain nor was there even a gust of wind and the birds sang such a lovely little tune for both the ears and heart to hear. It was literally perfect. Everything was perfect in this place. It was a perfect place, a place of peace. She wished she could stay in this perfect, peaceful place forever._

_"_Andaran atish'an, da'len._"_ _The male voice spoke again, abruptly snapping__ Jade out of her thoughts and making her jump slightly in surprise. She blinked, twisting around to see an elven man who she did not recognize sitting cross-legged on the ground and holding a staff in one hand whilst his other hand was on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. Jade studied the man thoughtfully, taking notice of his short raven-colored hair that was almost identical to the color of her own and dark blue eyes that sparkled with something resembling kindness, wisdom, sadness, and joy all rolled into one. Based on the staff in his hand and robes he wore, he was a keeper, but certainly not one who she recognized. She also did no fail to notice the _vallaslin_ design of _June_ that graced his brow._

_A small smile spread across the man's handsome face when he noticed her wide-eyed gaze trained on him."It is impolite to stare, _da'len_." There was a hint of teasing in his voice._

_Jade felt her cheeks flush __in both embarrassment and shame as she lowered her head apologetically."_Abelas_,_gisir_." She mumbled, afraid to look at the man in fear of offending or insulting him by accident. As a keeper, he was obviously much older and wiser than her, even if she herself did not ever remember meeting him._

_The man chuckled lightly, reaching out to tilt her chin up with his fingers."Do you know who I am, _da'len_?" He asked softly._

_She shook her head, ashamed."No, _gisir_."_

_"Do you know where you are?"_

_"No, _gisir_, I do not. Though I wish I could stay here forever. It is so peaceful and perfect."_

_The dark-haired keeper smiled sadly."This is the Beyond, _da'len_. The place where _Falon'Din _watches over our dead brothers and sisters with the help of his brother, _Dirthamen_, whose design graces your brow." __  
_

_Her head snapped up at this revelation."The Beyond?!__Am I _din_ then__?!"_

_The keeper shut his eyes tightly and shook his head very slowly."You are not _din_, _da'len_. I, on the other hand, am_din_ and have brought you here to warn you."_

_"Warn me?" The huntress was confused."About what?"_

_A sad sigh escaped his lips."There are dark forces that you will have to face other than those behind the_Banalhan_, _da'len. _I only wish I could help you defeat these forces, but sadly all I can do is offer you warning and guidance and hope that you can do what the Creators expect of you."_

_"Who are you?!" She demanded, confused and perhaps even scared at this point._

_He looked at her sadly, reaching out a hand to gently grasp the necklace clasped around her neck. Another sigh escaped his lips."_Dareth shiral_, _emm'asha_."_

_Jade looked at him in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened in shocked realization and she gasped, reaching out for him."_Papae_?!"_

_She caught sight of his sad smile and small nod before a bright light suddenly flashed right before her eyes and everything vanished._

* * *

Jade's eyes snapped open as she immediately sat upright in bed. Wait a minute, did she just say bed? How on earth did she get in a bed and why wasn't she wearing anything except for her small clothes? Where was she and where did the bandages that covered most of body come from? What in _Mythal's_ name was going on here?!

"It is good to see you are awake." A familiar voice said."Mother will no doubt be pleased."

Jade turned to the source of the voice, her eyes widening when she spotted someone familiar standing by her beside with her hands on her hips.

"M-Morrigan?" She whispered hoarsely, turning to the other side of the room when she heard a groan of pain and saw another familiar face also covered in bandages and slowly starting to sit up in bed. It was Zoë and as soon as the former city elf had fully come to, she looked just as confused as the huntress when she saw Morrigan.

"Where are we?" Jade asked slowly."And what happened to the darkspawn?"

"You were all injured, and then Mother rescued you." Morrigan replied calmly as if it were obvious.

Zoë's eyes widened slightly."Your mother saved us?" She groaned softly when a small pain erupted in her shoulder where she had been shot with an arrow just before losing consciousness at the top of the tower. Morrigan nodded curtly in response, raising an eyebrow.

"You do not remember?" Both Jade and Zoë exchanged a look before shaking their heads in unison.

"The last thing I remember is being overwhelmed by darkspawn." Zoë murmured, clutching her bandaged shoulder with a moan of pain escaping her lips.

"And that is because the man who was supposed to respond to that beacon of yours quit the field and left the rest of you to die." All eyes turned to see Morrigan's mother having just entered the hut with an unreadable expression on her face as she slowly came to stand next to Morrigan. Leonard had also entered with her and immediately rushed over to Jade, who stroked his head fondly and scratched his ears.

"Had I not arrived when I did, you and your fellow Grey Wardens would have surely perished in that tower." The old woman stated dryly, arms crossed over her chest and a grimace teasing her lips.

"You." Jade whispered, narrowing her eyes as she raised her head to make eye contact with the old woman."_Madar_ _Asha'belannar, dar ma'din? _The Woman Of Many Years."

The old woman smirked, but nodded."Yes, _da'len_, that would be me. I suppose it's better then being called the old hag who talks too much." She cackled frighteningly at her own jest, causing Zoë to shudder slightly."Though honestly, I am better known as Flemeth. That's what the Chasind folk like to call me anyhow, so I suppose it will do for the rest of you as well."

"Flemeth?" Zoë gasped."The Flemeth from the legends?! An actual Witch of the Wilds saved us?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Flemeth retorted with a raised eyebrow and light shrug of her shoulders."I know a bit of magic which has served you all well, has it not?"

"In addition to you two, Mother was also able to save this mutt that was with you, the elven mage, the other Dalish elf, and the dimwitted one you call Alistair." Morrigan added with a wry smirk."We are not sure of the fate of the others, however. They were most likely massacred when Loghain quit the field and abandoned them along with your fool of a king to die at the hands of the darkspawn."

Leonard whimpered sadly and Jade looked down at him in pity, knowing that he was worried about Valerie, who was most likely either dead or dying by now. She looked back up at Flemeth with an ominously calm look on her face."_Asha'belannar, _before I woke up just now, I had a dream. I was in the Beyond with...with...this man. He was my father. My **_din_** _papae_, to be exact, who was murdered by bandits before I was born and used to be keeper of my clan."

"Oh?" Flemeth raised an eyebrow."And what did this deadman have to say?"

"He said he was there to warn me of dangerous forces I have to face other than those behind the _Banalhan _and that he wished he could help me, but all he could do was offer me warning and guidance and hope that I would be able to do what my gods excepted of me. I asked him who he was and he revealed himself as my father." Jade narrowed her eyes as she spoke, though her gaze never once left Flemeth's."**That** was when I woke up."

At this explanation, Flemeth stroked her chin thoughtfully."Now that is a very strange dream. I can't say I've ever heard of such a thing ever occurring."

"It could merely be a demon attempting to deceive and posses her." Morrigan suggested with a shrug. Flemeth shook her head ever so slowly.

"She doesn't have magic like you and I do, Morrigan. Demons rarely ever go after non-mages." The old woman said in an matter-of-factly tone. She turned to Jade with her head cocked to the side slightly."I'm afraid I can't answer your question, _da'len, _but if this man from your dream really is your dead father who does truly wish to help you in some way and you do get another one of these dreams, then I suggest you listen to whatever he has to say, for it may be helpful and now, you will need all the help you are able to get."

Jade bowed her head respectfully."_Ma nuvenin_, _Asha'belannar."_

* * *

The feeling of something cool and wet being pressed against her forehead was the first thing Valerie felt when she regained consciousness. Slowly, the blonde opened her eyes, though she had to blink a few times in order to clear her slightly blurry vision as a moan of pain escaped her lips. While the pain was somewhat bearable, literally everything in her body hurt. She was also painfully aware of a possible concussion she'd gotten from when a genlock had nearly rendered her unconsciousness with a very hard blow to the head.

In just a second, everything came rushing back to her. She'd been fighting side-by-side with King Cailan and her fellow Grey Wardens against the darkspawn. Cailan and Duncan were literally fighting right next to her during most of the battle, but Valerie had been so distracted with taking out three hurlocks at once that by the time she'd spotted an ogre charging at Cailan and shouted for him to watch out, it was already too late. It was with horror that she watched helplessly as Cailan was crushed to death by the ogre.

Duncan had let out an enraged yell, immediately lunging for the beast and avenged the death of their king. He looked up at the tower where the beacon was lit then shared a look of both shock and awareness with Valerie. They both knew what was going to happen; Loghain had abandoned them and now they would die without the Teryn's men coming to their aid. Nevertheless, they continued to fight as hard as they could but it was not long before the darkspawn completely overwhelmed them. Valerie had shared one last look with Duncan for but a mere moment before he fell to his knees and did nothing to defend himself from the darkspawn who then slew him like a dog. That was when Valerie had turned around just as a genlock struck her in the head with the back of it's axe and knocked her to the ground. She had been in so much pain and shock as she could feel blood spilling from the now gaping wound in her head that it was all she do to close her eyes as the genlock raised it's axe high up athen brought it down at her with a loud shriek right before everything suddenly went black.

"Milady." Ser Gilmore's worried voice spoke softly as Valerie unsuccessfully willed herself to open her tightly shut eyes. She could feel the cool, wet object being removed from her forehead then being replaced by a hand followed by the incoherent muttering of a spell of some sort as a strangely soothing feel shot through her body, causing her to feel more relaxed and for some of the pain to fade way.

"Val, if you can hear me, I need you to let out a sigh." Another familiar spoke that Valerie knew belonged to Natasha. She did as the mage asked and heard several breaths of relief come from the mage, the knight, and a few other voices.

"Good." Natasha said softly."Can you open your eyes?"

Valerie nodded weakly, then slowly opened her eyes to see several familiar faces and one unfamiliar face looking down at her. She noticed that she was being held in Ser Gilmore's arms and frowned upon seeing the small cut on his cheek and slash on his armored arm. Next to him was Natasha, the mage herself looking completely worn out and nursing several cuts and bruises on her face although she did not seem to have anything that was life threatening. Cullen was also standing behind them, a worried frown on his face but the person who Valerie paid the most attention to was a young dark-haired male who was staring at her with an unreadable glint in his eyes. She vaguely recognized him as being one of the members of the king's army along with several others though his name escaped her at the moment.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ser Gilmore asked, looking up at Natasha.

The mage nodded curtly at him."I'm no healer, that's for sure, but I've managed to take away some of the pain and made the rest of it bearable. She'll be slightly worse for wear like the rest of us, but generally speaking, she'll be alright in a couple of days or maybe even weeks. Time heals all physical wounds, as they say."

The young dark-haired warrior scoffed."Too bad the same can't be said about the mental wounds." Cullen nodded sadly in agreement.

"W-Where am I?" Valerie asked weakly.

"Safe." Natasha responded curtly, a grim frown crossing her face."For now, that is. Out of all of us, I think you're the one with the most injuries because of that concussion getting hit with the back of an axe gave you."

"I saw Duncan and Cailan getting slain by the darkspawn." She murmured, her voice quickly growing louder as she spoke."Why didn't Loghain come? The beacon was lit! He abandoned us!"

"Damn right." The mage muttered bitterly."If it wasn't for Carver over here and a few other soldiers finding a way out for the rest of us, we'd be dead too." She gestured toward the dark-haired warrior as she spoke. The young man simply gave a curt nod of acknowledgement at Valerie, who hesitantly returned the gesture.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but my mother and sisters are no doubt at home worried sick about me." Carver stated."If I wanna get them away from the horde, I need to get to Lothering and warn them **now**."

Natasha nodded sympathetically, standing up and going over to clasp a hand on Carver's shoulder."I understand, Carver, and thank you again for helping us. If we ever meet again, know that I, Natasha Amell, owe you a great debt that I can only ever repay by saving your life just like you saved mine and my fellow wardens'. Give your family my regards and even though I don't like to say this very much, Maker watch over you, Carver Hawke."

Smirking wryly, Carver nodded back."Same to you, Nat." The two of them shook hands firmly before Carver turned and ran off toward Lothering, giving the wardens a quick wave of his hand before eventually sprinting from their view.

Not even a moment after Carver had left, a bright light suddenly flashed right in front of Natasha that caused the mage to bring up a hand to shield her eyes. The light quickly faded and Natasha's grey eyes widened slightly when she spotted a familiar figure standing right in front of her.

"You!" She gasped, shock quickly turning to suspicion as she narrowed her eyes at the new arrival."Morrigan, what are you doing here?"

"My mother's bidding." The witch answered curtly with a roll of her eyes."If you wish to see your fellow wardens alive and well thanks to my mother, then I suggest you all best come with me."

"How did you even know we were here in the first place?" The mage questioned, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

Morrigan sighed softly."'Tis understandable that you are suspicious, but if you all come with me back to my mother's hut now, then I promise you that you shall find the answers you seek. Mother will explain everything to you once we get there."

"I say we go." Valerie said, sitting up in Ser Gilmore's arms on the hard ground."Morrigan and her mother have already helped us once and if the others really are alive because of them, then that gives us double reason to go with Morrigan." She shrugged as best as she could due to the slight ache in her shoulders."Besides, even if she**is** lying, what else do we really have to lose at this point?"

"I agree." Ser Gilmore said with a nod. Natasha looked questioningly at Cullen, though the Templar just shrugged hesitantly.

"Whatever you think is best, I will do, Natasha." He said quietly."But I agree with Valerie that going with Morrigan**does** seem like our best option right now."

Nodding, Natasha turned back to Morrigan with a sigh and nod."Very well. We'll go with you, Morrigan."

The witch smirked wryly, nodding back."A wise choice. Now follow me if it pleases you."

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Ma'isala __pann na'inan - You need to open your eyes_

_Andaran atish'an - (Literally: I dwell in this place, a place of peace) Enter this place in peace. A formal Elven greeting._

___Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to ____display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan.___

_Abelas - (Literally: Sorrow) Sorry _

_Gisir - Keeper_

_Papae - Father_

_Dareth shiral - (Literally: Safe journey) Farewell _

_Emm'asha - My girl_

_Banalhan - (Literally: The place of nothing) _A name for the Blight or its place of origin__

___Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood.___

_June - Elven god of crafts_

_Falon'Din - (Literally: Friend Of The Dead) Elven god of the dead who guides the elven people's dead souls into the Beyond. Twin brother of Dirthamen. _

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deciet._

_Asha'belannar - (Literally: The Woman of Many Years) Flemeth_

__Madar_ _Asha'belannar, dar ma'din?_ \- You are the Woman of Many Years, are you not?_

_Din - (Literally Not/Isn't) Used to indicate someone who is dead. _

_Ma nuvenin - As you wish_

_Next up: Chapter 16:Fugitives_


	19. Chapter 15:Fugitives

**Disclaimer: I do own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

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"People who travel are always fugitives."  
— Daphne du Maurier (Frenchman's Creek)

**Chapter 15:Fugitives**

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"...and I expect each of you to supply these men." Teryn Loghain was saying as he addressed the landsmeet with his daughter, the now widowed Queen Anora, and Rendon Howe by his side."We must quickly rebuild what was lost at Ostagar, for there are those who would wish to take advantage of our weakened state if we are foolish enough to let them. Therefore, we must defeat this darkspawn incursion, but we must do so sensibly and without hesitation."

Bann Teagan stepped forward."Your lordship, may I speak?" He asked calmly, though his eyes glinted with something akin to anger. When Loghain nodded curtly in response, he crossed his arms and bravely glared up at the Teryn."It has come to my attention that you have declared yourself Queen Anora's regent and claim we must all unite under your banner for our own good." He raised an eyebrow."But what of the army lost at Ostagar? I believe your withdrawal was most...fortuitous to say the least."

The nobles almost immediately exploded into protests and panic, speaking in such loud voices that Loghain had to nearly shout at the top of his lungs so his next words would be heard."Everything I have done has been for the sole purpose of securing Ferelden's independence! I have never shirked my duty to the throne and neither will any of you!"

"The Bannorn will not bow down to you simply because you demand it!" Teagan yelled back with a scowl. Loghain put up a hand to interrupt the man, waiting until all was quiet before speaking to everyone present, though his eyes remained locked on Teagan as he spoke.

"Understand this: I shall brook no threat to this nation from you or anyone!" With the wave of his hand, he adjourned the landsmeet and calmly exited the room with Howe following closely behind him. Just as Teagan was turning to leave as well, Anora leaned against the balcony, looking desperate as she shouted his name.

"Bann Teagan, please-" Teagan abruptly spun around on his heel, holding up a hand tostop whatever she wished to say and telling her exactly what was on his mind instead.

"Your Majesty, your father is risking civil war! If Eamon were here-" It was Anora's turn to cut him off now. The Queen shook her head vigorously, though she didn't seem to believe even herself when she spoke softly and hesitantly.

"Bann Teagan, my father is doing what is best." Teagan scoffed at her words, eyebrow raised.

"Did he also do what was best for your husband, Your Majesty?" He retorted icily before turning around and stomping out of the room. Anora gasped at his harsh words and immediately turned and fled from the room so no one would be able to see the single tear that ran down her cheek as she fought not to think about Cailan and failed miserably to avoid doing so.

* * *

"Well, here it is; Lothering" Alistair sighed, leaning against marble balcony to get a good view of the village they'd just entered."Pretty as a painting."

"Ah, I see you have finally decided to rejoin us, have you?" Morrigan asked teasingly."Did falling on your blade in dole sound like too much trouble?" The witch's comment brought a half-snort of amusement and agreement out of Natasha, who exchanged smirks with the other mage. It had become clear to everyone over the past few days of traveling together that the two women would be able to get along just fine, and that they both found a lot of mirth from vexing an unfortunate Alistair.

"Is my being upset so hard for you to understand?!" Alistair demanded, throwing his hands up in vexation."Have you never lost someone important to you? Just what would you do if your mother died?"

Morrigan quirked an eyebrow."Before or after I stopped laughing?" Natasha burst out into half-snorts of mirth as she fought to hold back laughter though she only succeeded in sounding a lot like an undignified pig. Alistair stared at the two women in something resembling shock and horror before simply shaking his head and letting out a sigh.

"Right. Very creepy. Forget I ask." He muttered under his breath, causing Zoë and Regina to both giggle in unison.

Jade and Valerie both exchanged mutual looks of exasperation as they finished looting the stiffs of the highwaymen their little group had just killed right before entering the village. It had been decided already after they left Flemeth's hut that although Alistair was the junior Grey Warden, he was, in his own exact words, completely unfit for the role of leadership, and so everyone agreed to make Jade their leader while Valerie was given the role of second-in-command by the huntress. For a majority of their trek so far, Alistair had been as silent as a shadow, but now that he was finally talking, it made a bitter feeling of resentment rise up in the two women's chests at him for acting like he was the only one grieving right now. Not only was it extremely selfish, but it was also completely despicable in even Morrigan's opinion.

Leonard sniffed around the highwaymen stiffs to see if there was anything else they could take from them. Seeing this, Jade smiled softly and gave him a small pat on the head, evoking a bark from the canine.

"You have been very quiet, Alistair." Regina pointed out with a slight frown.

"Yes, I know." Alistair nodded sadly."I was just thinking..."

Morrigan snorted, rolling her eyes."No wonder it took so long then."

"Oh, I get it." Alistair said with a scowl."This is the part where we're shocked to discover how you've never had a friend your entire life."

"I can be friendly when I desire to." She retorted with a scoff, arms crossed."But alas, a desire to be more intelligent does not make it so."

"Anyway," Alistair rolled his eyes and then turned his attention back to Jade and Valerie, failing to notice the way they were glowering coldly at him.", I thought we should talk about where we intend to go first."

"You have some thoughts on the matter, Alistair?" Jade inquired icily, eyebrow raised and arms folded over her chest.

Alistair hesitated, but nodded."I still think Arl Eamon is our best bet for help. We might even want to go to him first."

Valerie scoffed."Going to that miserable old prune of a man might as well be the last thing on our list."

"Agreed." Natasha muttered darkly, eyes narrowed.

Jade flicked her head at Morrigan."What do you think we should do, Morrigan? I'd like to hear **your **opinion for once instead of this cowardly _shemlen's_." Alistair frowned at her words, but was ignored. Shrugging slightly, Morrigan did not hesitate to reply.

"Go after your enemy directly." She responded as if it were obvious."Find Loghain and kill him. The rest of this business with the treaties can then be done in safety." Natasha nodded her head in agreement, but Alistair shook his head at the two mages, throwing his hands up in a very exaggerated manner as he spoke loudly and sarcastically.

"Yes, he certainly wouldn't see that coming! After all, it's not like he has the advantage of an army and experience and-"

Morrigan threw him a scowl to silence him, glaring at the man with narrowed eyes."I was asked for **my **opinion by our leader and so I gave it. If **your** wish, however, is to come up with reasons as to why something **cannot** be done, then let us simply stand here like statues until the darkspawn are upon us!"

"Enough!" Jade snapped then sighed."Val and I will figure it out ourselves. For now, let's just head into the village and get what we need before getting the heck out of here."

As they started walking again, Tamlen cut his way past the others so he could walk right next to Jade. The blonde elf placed a hand on his clan mate's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

She scoffed, crossing her arms."What do you care?"

Tamlen frowned."Jade-"

Sighing, she put up a hand to stop him."_Ir abelas_, it's just that _Emma ir souveri_. It's been a long few days since Ostagar."

Tamlen nodded, eyes lowering as he heaved a sigh."_Ir abelas_."

Jade raised an eyebrow at him."What for?"

"You know why."

"Oh, right!" She exclaimed sarcastically, slapping her forehead in mock seriousness before her sweet smile quickly became a sneer."You mean that!" The very last word of that sentence was said with so much venom and cold sarcasm that it caused Tamlen to wince. Jade rarely ever showed anger like this, but when she did, everyone knew it was best not to do anything to aggravate her any further unless they suddenly had a death wish. Tamlen wondered if it was something she had inherited from her father and was suddenly glad for the fact that the man was dead as he could only imagine what Magnus Mahariel might say or do to him if he saw what Tamlen had done with his daughter. It was not a pleasant thought at all, so unpleasant that Tamlen barely managed to suppress a shudder.

He cleared his throat, trying again."_Lethallan_-"

"_Nae_." She interrupted firmly, roughly shrugging his hand off her shoulder."_Ar'din nuvenin dirth'in'ma sahlin. Ven ar u_."

"Excuse me." The two elves froze in place as they looked down to see a little red-haired human boy standing right in front of them and looking up at them with wide eyes."Have you seen my mother?"

"Uh-oh." Natasha muttered, all signs of amusement on her face turning into a grimace. A frown crossed Valerie's face as the little boy reminded her slightly of Oren.

Jade smiled kindly at the boy, kneeling down so she was at eye level with him."What does your _mamae _look like, _da'seldo_?"

"She's really tall and she has red hair like me. We live on a big farmhold, all of us." The boy explained."Some mean men with swords came. Mama told me to run to the village as fast as I could, so I did!" He frowned."She said she would be right behind me, but I've been waiting here for a very long time, and I still can't see her."

"What about your father?" Natasha questioned."Do you know where he is?"

The boy shook his head."He went with William to the neighbor's yesterday, but he never came back. And I'm really hungry now!"

Reaching into a pouch on her belt, Jade pulled out one whole silver and gently placed it into the little boy's hands."Take this silver, _da'seldo_, and buy yourself something to eat."

"A whole silver!" The boy cried."Thank you!" He paused, looking up at her for a moment then raising an eyebrow."Are you really an elf?"

Jade grinned from ear to ear."Did my ears give me away?" She asked teasingly.

The boy giggled, but nodded."Papa says that elves are really mean, but you're actually really nicer than everybody else here. Thank you again for helping me!" He then turned and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Poor thing." Natasha said softly once the little boy was out of earshot.

Jade nodded sadly in agreement."He doesn't even realize his _mamae_ and _papae_ are never coming home."

'Just like my parents are never coming home either.'

* * *

"I still can't believe you **threatened** a **Revered Mother**!" Valerie exclaimed, throwing her hands up as she sat on one of the beds of the inn they were staying at for the night.

Shortly after encountering the orphaned little boy, the group of Grey Wardens had found a qunari man named Sten locked in a cage for killing an entire family. Seeing as Sten was clearly an excellent warrior who could have been of great use to them, Jade had promised they would free him by convincing the Revered Mother to give them the key. It was a task much easier said then done, however.

As one could expect, the stubborn woman refused to give them the key, which forced Jade to try talking some sense into her, and by talking, she meant threatening the priestess with violence if she did not do as they asked. Valerie had been aghast by the elf's behavior and immediately taken control of the situation. After some more calm persuasion from the former noblewoman, the Revered Mother finally agreed to their request and with a sigh, handed Valerie the key.

Afterwards, they'd bought a couple of rooms at a nearby inn for the night and planned to leave first thing in the morning. Valerie had remained silent for most of the day, but now that they were finally alone, she was done staying quiet and was now ready to chide the huntress in a way that she knew would make her sound a lot like her deceased mother.

Looking up from the arrow she was examining while she sat on the divan settee, Jade rolled her eyes."The _asha_ was asking for it. I tried to be patient with her as I always do with everyone, but she refused, so I changed tactics."

Zoë snorted from where she right next to the huntress."That's one way to put it."

At the elven rogue's words, both Regina and Natasha looked up from the book they were reading together as they were seated on the bed across from Valerie's and exchanged a look before nodding together in agreement. A wry smirk formed on Natasha's face as she placed a ribbon inside the book to mark hers and Regina's place before closing it and putting it away into her pack.

"I agree." The human mage said, undoing her hair from the loose ponytail she usually had it in and running a hand through her chestnut-colored tresses."After how stubbornly she acted, that pathetic priestess is lucky we didn't bring Sten with us back into the Chantry just to spite or scare her like she deserves. One can only imagine her reaction to **that**."

Regina giggled."The look on her face was priceless when Jade threatened to put an arrow up her-"

As if on cue, a rather firm knock on the door abruptly interrupted the elven mage's sentence and surprised the five women. As far as they knew, Morrigan, who had been the only one with her own room at the inn, and their male companions, had all already settled in for the night. So who was at the door, then?

"Who could that be?" Zoë asked, eyebrow raised.

Shrugging, Jade stood up and walked over to the door, hesitating for a moment before slowly turning the knob and swinging it open. Immediately, she was met with a sword to the neck, which caused the other four women to jump up in surprise and draw their weapons. Jade raised her chin defiantly, eyes narrowing icily as she stared back at the human man who was still pointing a sword directly at her neck. Next to him was another human man and both of them sneered when they appeared to recognize all five of the women.

Looking at his companion, the first human flicked his head at Jade while still keeping his sword at her neck."Didn't we spend all day asking for some people which included five women by these descriptions?" He raised an eyebrow."And everyone said they hadn't seen any?"

The second human nodded, the sneer still on his face."It seems we were lied to."

Jade scowled at them both."Get that sword out of my face now, _shem_, or _Ar tu na'din_."

"You five are Grey Wardens." The first man scowled back."And you **traitors** are all coming with us."

"Traitors?!" Valerie exclaimed."What in Andraste's name are you talking about?!"

"You killed our king!" The second man shouted lividly."I was there!"

"So was I!" Valerie shouted back angrily."**You** abandoned **us**!"

"Teryn Loghain left us all to die out there, you dolts!" Natasha shouted just as angrily.

"Lies!" Both men yelled in unison.

That was when someone cleared their throat and both men twisted around to see a beautiful red-haired female dressed in what Natasha and Regina thought greatly resembled the robes Lily had worn during her time as an initiate. There was one thing that was obvious about the unknown woman, however: she was definitely Orlesian. This fact was only proven when she opened her mouth to speak and the Orlesian accent was unmistakeable.

"Gentlemen, please. These five are obviously nothing more than a few poor souls seeking refuge for the night." The woman smiled pleasantly as she spoke, but the two men merely scowled at her in response. The second drew a dagger and pointed it right at her face, though the woman didn't even blink at him.

"They're more than that!" He hissed."No get out of here and mind your own bussines, sister, or you'll suffer the same fate as these traitors."

The first man briefly turned his attention away from Jade and nodded at his companion's words, giving Jade the momentary distraction she needed to knock the sword out of his hands and punch him in the face, a smirk crossing her lips when she heard his nose break from the blow. This caused the second man to turn away from the red-haired woman and as a result, have Jade's foot connect with his stomach. He cried out, the dagger falling from his hands as the red-haired woman suddenly grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder to the floor.

A fireball erupted from Regina's hands, striking the first man in the chest and while his armor protected him from any serious harm, it was enough to make him give a small yelp of pain before Jade kicked him in the shin and flipped him over her shoulder next to the other man on the floor. The huntress quickly kicked away both of the men's weapons from their reach and drew her bow, nocking two arrows at once at both of them.

"Time to die, idiots." Natasha sneered as she came up beside the huntress, a large ball of fire forming in her hands. The two men immediately held up their hands in surrender and fear.

"No, wait! We surrender!" They cried in unison. In an instant, the red-haired woman had jumped in between the wardens and the men with her hands up and eyes begging for them to show the two men clemency.

"They have learned their lesson!" She cried."Please do not kill them!"

"They aim to butcher us!" Natasha growled."They don't deserve mercy!"

"No, please!" The two men shouted, looking close to tears.

"There is no way in hell I am showing any mercy to these bastards!" Natasha said through grit teeth as she readied her fireball to throw at the men. She stopped, however, when Jade lowered her bow and put up a hand to stop her. The mage raised an eyebrow at the elf, and at Jade's small shake of the head, she nodded curtly and the fireball in her hands vanished. Jade nodded back at her and then looked at the terrified men with narrowed eyes.

"I will let you go." She said calmly."But only if you do something for us and take a message back to Loghain."

"Yes, of course!" The second man nodded vigorously."What do you want to tell him?"

Reaching out, Natasha grabbed both men by their collars and roughly yanked them up to their feet."He'll have to do better than this!" She hissed then threw them to the floor like rocks and watched as they nodded vigorously before jumping up and fleeing like a pair of frightened little boys.

The red-haired woman smiled in relief."I'm glad you could find it in your hearts to show those men mercy and I apologize for interfering, but I could not simply stand idly by and watch."

Jade nodded curtly."It's alright. I suppose we should thank you for helping us, miss...?" She trailed off, raising an eyebrow and flicking her head questioningly at the woman.

The woman smiled pleasantly."I am Leliana, one of the Lay Sisters of the Chantry here in Lothering. Or I was at least."

"**Was**?" Natasha asked skeptically, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"I joined the Chantry to live a life of religious contemplation, but I am no priest, nor am I even an initiate." Leliana explained.

"I see." Jade said quietly."Well, was there something you wanted from us then, sister?"

She nodded."Those men said you were a Grey Warden and that means you will be battling the darkspawn, yes? Is that not what Grey Wardens do?"

"Yes, it is." Zoë replied nonchalantly, leaning against the door with an uninterested look on her face.

Leliana nodded again."And I know after what happened, you will need all the help you can get. That's why I'm coming along."

Natasha let out a humorless laugh."Why so eager to join us, **sister**?" She asked with venom practically dripping from her voice, though it did nothing to offend Leliana in the slightest. Instead, she smiled at the mage and gave an answer that no one expected to hear.

"The Maker told me to." Jade scoffed harshly at her words, arms crossing as she scowled at Leliana.

"Why should I care what your pathetic human god wants?" She questioned icily.

Leliana frowned."He is not just my god! The Maker has love for everyone, and I...I know you may not believe in him, but I had a dream, a vision!"

"Can we just back away slowly and slam the door in her face now?" Zoë whispered to Jade, who looked at Leliana with narrowed eyes before nodding at the elven rogue.

"We don't need your help, _shem_." She said coldly to the redhead."Now get out of here before I kick you out."

Leliana shook her head desperately, folding her hands together as she gave the huntress a pleading look."But the Maker doesn't want this! Please, just let me-"

Jade held up a firm hand to interrupt the redhead. When Leliana shut her mouth and waited, she slowly lowered her hand and sneered at the sister."I'm going to say this very slowly. You. Not. Coming!" She hissed then took a few steps back along with Natasha and Zoë into the room. Valerie and Regina came up beside their fellow wardens with crossed arms and icy gazes as Jade ignored Leliana's shocked visage and without a single care in the world for the pious woman, slammed the door right in her face.

"And that's why I hate zealots." Natasha muttered under her breath and everyone else immediately agreed with the mage.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Ir abelas__ \- I'm sorry_

_Emma ir souveri - I'm very tired_

_Lethallan - (Female) Friend/Kinswoman_

_Nae. Ar'din nuvenin dirth'in'ma sahlin. Ven ar u. - No. I don't want to speak with you now. Leave me alone._

_Ar tu na'din - I will kill you _

_Da'seldo - Little boy_

_Mamae - Mother_

_Papae - Father_

_Asha - Woman_

_Next up: Chapter 17:Assassins_


	20. Chapter 16:Assassins

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"When one consorts with assassins, one must expect to dance along the edge of a knife once or twice."  
— R.L. LaFevers (Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1))

**Chapter 16:Assassins**

* * *

_She was back in this wonderful, perfect, peaceful place known as the Beyond. That much was clear to Jade as she walked through the beautiful forest with the sound of the birds singing a lovely tune and the sun shining through the trees filling her senses. The huntress was looking for something, or someone rather, but could not seem to find that someone, and so she just kept on wandering aimlessly until they would find her instead. It was very confusing, but for some reason, Jade felt as if she knew in her _vhenan_ where she was going despite the fact that that her brain was unsure of where to go, settling on going wherever it was her legs would take her. _

_"You seem to like it here, _da'len_." Jade stopped dead in her tracks at the familiar deep male voice, twisting around on her heel to see none other than the late Keeper Magnus Mahariel standing behind her with a sombre expression on his face. His dark blue eyes were narrowed and he raised them for but a moment before looking down again. Biting her lower lip, Jade slowly looked up at the man and took tentative step forward._

_"_Papae_?" Magnus nodded curtly in response to her almost inaudible question, a sad smile crossing his lips. With the wave of his hand, he beckoned his daughter closer, causing her to hesitate again before letting out a deep breath and walking over to him, eyes never once leaving his as they stared at each other for several long moments. _

_"No doubt you have questions, _da'len_." The late keeper said with a sigh."Unfortunately, I have very little time to answer them as there is so much I must tell you first before I can hear what you have to say." Turning away, he gestured for her to follow him as they walked down the path together that lead out of the forest and toward where a large waterfall was located. Jade did not say a word the entire time, only did as her father said to and hesitantly sat down on the ground with her legs crossed across from him once they reached the cataract _

_For the longest time, father and daughter simply stared at each other in uncomfortable silence. Eventually, Magnus gave a deep sigh and looked up at his daughter with the ghost of a sad smile on his face."Let me be blunt with you, _da'len_, seeing as we do not have much time left. You have a _Banalhan_ to__ stop, but that is not all you must do. As I said the last time we met like this, there are dark forces you must face other than those behind the _Banalhan_, forces that I desperately wish you did not have to defeat, but if this is what the Creators expect of you, then all I can do is help you prepare and offer you guidance. This will be a very long journey for you, _da'len_, and as time goes by, some things will get easier and some shall get even harder. Much more of the latter shall occur than the former, however, I'm afraid."_

_"I do not understand." Jade shook her head in confusion."What is it the Creators expect of me? What are these other dark forces that I must defeat besides those behind the _Banalhan_? Please _dirth ar, papae_. How can I possibly do what the Creators expect me to do when I do not even know what it is that they expect of me? I am confused and afraid, _papae_. Please do not keep me in the dark." _

_Magnus lowered his eyes."I truly do wish I could provide answers for your many questions, but alas, our time has run out and it is time for you to go back now, _da'len_." _

_Jade immediately jumped up to her feet."_Papae_-" She started to protest but was cut off by him putting up a hand to interrupt whatever she wished to say and smiling sadly before taking a few steps back away from the perplexed huntress._

_"_Dareth shiral, emm'asha_." He whispered, closing his eyes as _vhen'alas _suddenly__ began shaking violently, causing Jade to hit the ground like a rock when she made an unsuccessful attempt to stand up. When the shaking soon came to an abrupt stop, _vhen'alas_ started cracking very quickly and dangerously. _

_Before Jade could so much as blink, the ground beneath her feet also gave way and with a loud cry of surprise, she fell from the Beyond._

* * *

Jade's eyes snapped open as she slowly removed the thin blanket from herself and sat up in the divine sette with a small yawn. She looked around the room, sighing when she saw that her friends were all still asleep and it was still dark out; in other words, she still had to wait a few more hours until sunrise so they could leave Lothering and move on.

The huntress closed her eyes and rubbed her temples wearily as she recalled the dream she'd just had. Flemeth had advised her to listen to everything Magnus Mahariel told her if he ever appeared in her dreams again and she did, but it was all still so confusing for the elf. What did _papae_ mean when he spoke of other forces besides those behind the _Banalhan _that she would have to defeat? And what was is it that the Creators expected of her that he hoped she would be able to do?

Everything was just so confusing and difficult for her right now. First, she and Tamlen had to leave their clan to become Grey Wardens, then Tamlen completely withdrew from her, next they ended up betrayed and branded as traitors by an arrogant _shemlen_ man who left them all to die, and now she was having these strange dreams of her long dead _papae_ who had been killed by _shemlen_ and flat-ears before she was even born. Why in _Mythal's_ name was all of this happening to **her** of all people and not someone else?

With a sigh, she stood up and quietly exited the room, careful not to wake up any of her still slumbering friends as she did so. She closed the door behind her, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Alistair standing outside and leaning against the balcony of the inn. It was clear to Jade by the look on his face that he was thinking about Duncan and she couldn't help but feel some pity for the human man. While it was wrong of him to drop all the responsibility of leadership on her and Valerire when **he** was the senior warden of them all, she couldn't blame him for mourning Duncan and everyone else who'd lost their lives at Ostagar because of Loghain's treachery.

"I see you can't sleep either." Alistair remarked with a wry smile as the elf moved to stand next to him and leaned against the railing whilst resting her chin on her fist.

"I had a dream." She stated softly.

"About darkspawn?" He asked.

"No." She shook her head and looked at him in confusion."Why would I dream about darkspawn?"

Alistair sighed."You see, part of being a Grey Warden is being able to hear the darkspawn. The archdemon...talks to the horde, and we hear it just like they do. That's how we know this is really a blight. It takes time, but eventually we manage to block the dreams out. Some of the older wardens think they can actually understand what the archdemon is saying but I sure can't. I just thought I should let you know now so you won't be too surprised and confused once it actually does happen."

"I see." She said quietly as silence fell between them until she noticed the sad look on his face again and placed a hand on his shoulder."Do you want to talk about Duncan?"

Alistair shook his head."You don't have to do that. I know none of you knew him as long as I did."

Jade frowned."He was like a father to you, Alistair. I understand."

"I," He hesitated,", should have handled it better. Duncan warned me right from the begginning that this could happen, after all." He sighed, clearly ashamed of himself."Any of us could die in battle and I should not have lost it, at least not when so much is at stake with the Blight and Loghain branding us traitors and fugitives. I'm sorry."

Jade heaved a sigh."I'm still unhappy with you, but I can sympathize with your sorrow."

"I'd like to have a proper funeral for him once this is all over." He whispered."I don't think he had any family to speak of."

"He had you." She answered with a comforting smile.

Nodding in agreement, Alistair smiled."I suppose he did. Do the Dalish practice cremation?" She shook her head."What do your people do when one of your own dies, then?"

Jade smiled in response and looked up at the sky."We bury them and plant a tree over their remains."

"That sounds beautiful." He remarked with a wide smile."Life springing from death. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better and thanks for the talk."

Smiling back, Jade nodded at him."Anytime, Alistair."

* * *

"The Grey Wardens die here!" The male elven assassin shouted as he drew his weapons and about twenty to thirty other assassins came out of their hiding places to surround their targets. To the male elf's left was the very woman who'd led the group into an ambush by pretending to be a damsel in distress. An evil grin spread across her face as her hands glowed with purple lightning. To the male elf's right was another beautiful young woman, this one with creamy white skin, sapphire-colored eyes, and long white tresses that were each braided and hung against her back.

"It's an ambush!" Jade yelled, already drawing her bow and rolling away to avoid the arrows being shot in her direction by their attackers.

Quickly drawing her daggers, Valerie grunted as she brought them up just in time to block the white-haired woman's own blade from reaching her throat. Leonard barked and growled savagely, attempting to pounce on the woman fighting with his mistress only for her to suddenly throw Valerie off balance and spin around to kick his muzzle. She gave a smirk as the canine hit the ground like a rock and turned her attention back to Valerie as the blonde slowly stood up. The two woman stared at each other for a moment before letting out battle cries and charging at one another, their weapons clashing loudly through the air.

Jade hid behind a large rock as several arrows were still being shot at her and nocked two of her owns arrows at once before rolling out of cover and releasing both of her arrows. Two of the five archers who were aiming at her immediately went down as the huntress's own arrows imapled themselves into the skulls of their targets and killed them instantly. The remaining three took aim at Jade, but had no time to react as two fireballs from Morrigan struck two of them in the chest and an arrow from Leliana impeded itself in between the fifth archer's eyes.

Jade huffed to herself as Leliana smiled and winked at her."Okay, maybe it **wasn't** such a bad idea listening to Alistair's opinion for once and actually giving this human zealot a second chance to join us." The huntress muttered under her breath with a sigh."Well, at least she has good aim."

Having heard Valerie shouting as she fought hard with the white-haired woman, Zoë, Alistair, Sten, and Ser Gilmore all charged at the female assassin from behind. Sten swung his blade at her head but she ducked and rolled across the ground where she swiftly kicked out Alistair's legs and used both of her feet to kick him in the chest before he could fall on her, sending him crashing into Ser Gilmore. She then slashed across Sten's arm, evoking a grunt of pain from the qunari as she spun around and slammed the heel of her boot into chest, knocking him aside.

Zoë quickly backflipped to avoid the woman's dagger connecting with her face and easily landed on her feet with both of her daggers drawn and ready as both she and Valerie lunged at the woman who fought equally against the two of them. The white-haired woman moved very quickly, dodging and blocking all of Zoë's and Valerie's attacks whilst sneaking in more than a few of her own which the two female wardens either dodged or blocked as well. It was an even match, despite being two against one.

Natasha spun around her staff and struck the mage who had tricked them into a trap right the face, smirking when she felt the other mage squeal as she hit the ground like a rock. The other mage swiftly picked herself up off the ground, already beginning to summon a lightning spell that Natasha barely managed to protest herself from in time by forming a barrier. Cullen let out a yell as he charged past Natasha with his sword drawn and aimed at the treacherous female mage.

The mage looked up when he saw him coming for her and released her lightning spell to defend herself from the Templar. This allowed Natasha to release the barrier she'd put up to protect herself from the other mage's lightning spell and she shut her eyes tightly as she summoned another spell which turned Cullen's sword to ice exactly a second before he knocked the female mage across the ground. She recovered in less than a minute, an Arcane bolt erupting from her hands that struck Cullen in the chest and caused to stagger back as he dropped his sword and she scrambled back up to her feet.

"Cullen!" Natasha screamed as he was electrocuted with lightning by the mage to the point where he cried out and fell to his knees. Enraged, Natasha shouted to get the other mage's attention and as soon as the woman turned to face her, a fireball struck her right in the face followed by two more that both hit her in the chest and resulted in her screaming loudly as she was literally burned to ashes.

Tamlen, Jade, and Regina were all locked in combat with the male elf while Zoë and Valerie fought hard with the white-haired woman and everyone else dealt with the other remaining assassins. It was a difficult fight for both sides, but it was clear to everyone that the assassins were losing and their intended targets were winning.

Bringing up her staff, Regina started muttering incoherently as Tamlen swung his sword at the assassin's head and Jade shot arrows at him. In just a few seconds, the elven mage's hands began to glow with a strange bright light and the elven assassin yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself being levitated high up into the air as Regina raised a glowing a hand upward toward the sky before suddenly closing her hand into fist and thrusting it downwards while slamming her staff roughly against the ground which also resulted in the male elf being thrown to the hard ground like a rock with another yelp of both surprise and pain escaping his lips.

Ducking beneath the white-haired woman's leg as it almost struck her in the head, Zoë swept her foot across the female assassin's, knocking her down. She tried to pin the woman down with her foot, but her opponent rolled aside just in time and was back on her feet in only a moment, twirling around the daggers in her hands as she aimed for Zoë's heart.

Valerie shouted loudly, acting quickly by slamming her elbow against the woman's face before she so much as lay a hand on Zoë. Seeing that the woman was stunned from Valerie's attack and had dropped her daggers because of this, Sten suddenly grabbed the woman by her long white hair and flung her like a rag doll straight into her male elven fellow assassin. The two assassins both grunted as they collided into each other and as a result were sent tumbling across the clearing until they landed roughly on the ground like a pair of heavy rocks and were already out cold by the time they hit the ground.

"Val, wait!" Jade exclaimed as the blonde moved to finish off the last two of their would be assassins. The former noblewoman raised an eyebrow, but Jade shook her head in response."I want to interrogate them!" Valerie nodded curtly and ordered Sten to tie both of the unconscious assassins up with a rope Alistair had given him.

Jade hurried over to her friends with both Regina and Tamlen on her heels and nodded at Sten as a silent command to wake up their captives. The qunari nodded curtly back and grabbed the two out cold assassins by their hair before roughly slamming their heads together and instantly bring them both back to their senses. The male elf was groaning and moaning in pain from the headache he'd just gotten while the woman whined like an annoying _da'len_ and muttered incoherent curses in some other language under her breath as she too was suffering from a terrible headache now. It took a moment for the two of them to fully recover and they finally did they both looked up with sheepish grin's on their faces at the people they had attempted to kill just thirty seconds ago.

The male elf chortled nervously."I believe we both rather thought we would wake up dead." He gave a quick cough."Or not wake up at all as such is this the case."

"Well, they obviously haven't killed us yet." The white-haired woman muttered under her breath with her teeth clenched worriedly.

"That can be easily rectified." Jade said, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at the two assassins with an emotionless look on her face.

"Of that we have absolutely no doubt at all." The male elf replied with a chuckle."But if you kept us both alive, then there must some purpose for this, yes?"

"Unless they plan to torture us." The woman huffed.

"You two are awfully glib for prisoners, aren't you?" Alistair muttered with a frown.

The woman looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and sapphire eyes glinting with the slightest hint of mischief."And you're awfully handsome for a Grey Warden, aren't you, _niño bonito_?" She purred, grinning slyly when he looked away to hide his rapidly flushing face.

Her elven companion laughed."Well then, I assume that you kept us alive to ask us some questions?" Jade nodded curtly."Let us both save you some time then. My name is Zevran Arainai, Zev to my friends."

"And I'm Simone Casola." The woman said with a nod."We are both members of the Antivan Crows brought here for the sole purpose of killing any surviving Grey Wardens."

Zevran nodded."Which we have both failed at sadly."

Regina moaned."Do I even **want** to know who hired you to kill us?"

"I'll give you three guesses." Alistair muttered darkly.

Simone smirked wryly."It was a very taciturn man named Loghain and another uglier than a rat guy who I think referred to himself as Howe."

"As in Rendon Howe?!" Valerie demanded, growling when Simone nodded curtly in response.

Jade brought up a hand to calm her friend and flicked her head questioningly at the two assassins."Does this mean you two are loyal to Loghain then?"

Zevran shrugged."We've no idea what his issues are with you people. We figured it was because you threatened his power or something like that."

"You could say that." Natasha muttered with a sigh.

"Beyond that, no we are not at all loyal to him or Rendon Howe." Simone said with a shrug."They can both rot in a ditch or something for all we care, honestly. We were simply contracted to perform a service. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sighing, Jade shook her head."Why are you telling us all of this?"

Zevran laughed as if the query was a funny jest of some kind."Why not? We weren't exactly paid for silence, now were we, my dear Simone?"

Simone snorted."Yes well, we didn't exactly offer it for sale either, Zev."

"So you are not even loyal to your employers then?" Zoë asked, eyebrow raised.

Zevran pressed his lips together thoughtfully."Loyalty is a very interesting concept in my opinion, you know. If you wish, and you are done interrogating us, we could discuss it further."

"We're listening." Regina replied nonchalantly as she leaned lazily against her staff with a small orb of lightening glowing slightly in her open palm."Just make it quick before we change our minds and decided to kill you simply for being so annoying."

Zevran cleared his throat."Well, here's the thing: we failed to kill you so our lives are automatically forfeit. That is just how it works."

Simone sighed."In other words, if you don't kill us now then the Crows most certainly will later on without a doubt."

Zevran coughed."And thing is, we both happen to like living very much, and you are obviously the sort to give the Crows pause, so allow us to serve you instead."

Regina let out a humorless laugh."You two must think we're royally stupid or something!"

Shrugging, Zevran smiled."I don't know about my female companion over here, but **I** happen to think you're royally tough to kill and **utterly** gorgeous. One can certainly think of worse punishment than serving a group of deadly sex goddesses."

Rather than blush like a silly _da'ashalen_ with a crush, however, Regina simply rolled her eyes at him and smirked wryly."I've had more than a few of my fellow mages back at the tower flirt with me, mister assassin, so you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that if you wanna make me blush."

Simone laughed loudly."That's one girl you certainly won't be getting, Zev!"

"Keep it in your pants, flat-ears." Jade said coldly to Zevran, which caused Simone to chortle to herself in amusement before she sobered up quickly.

"As mirthful as it is watching you all tell Zevran off," She said with a smirk,", I really think you should consider our offer. Both of us are highly skilled in combat, we know a thing or two about picking locks, poisons, and we can even shine your armor if you'd like!"

Zevran nodded vigorously."We promise you won't ever find a better deal anywhere else."

"And before you even bother asking," Simone said before Jade could question them further,", there's no need to worry about us trying to finish the job later on because even if we did kill you now or sometime later on, then the Crows would just kill us on principle for failing to do so the first time so it's not like Zev and I have anything to lose here regardless of whatever choice you make."

Jade let out a sigh, nodding reluctantly."Very well. We accept your offer."

"Oh thank the Maker, I thought you were just gonna slit our throats and leave us for dead out here by ourselves!" Simone breathed in relief, and so did Zevran.

"What?!" Alistair squeaked."You're taking the assassins with us now?! Does this really seem like a good idea?!"

Natasha scoffed."Interesting choice of words from someone who voted that we take the weird former Chantry Sister with us who claims to be another one of those Andraste wannabes."

"I can't ever imagine why, though." Regina murmured to herself with a roll of her eyes.

Alistair immediately closed his mouth, nodding slowly in agreement with Natasha."Point taken."

"Why do I have the feeling we're going to regret this?" Valerie moaned into her hands as Leonard rubbed his head against her leg and Ser Gilmore sighed quietly to himself.

Jade shrugged, sighing."Maybe we will, maybe we won't, but either way, I'm completely exhausted right now, so let's just get the heck out of here and find a safe place to set up camp for the night. Creators know I've had enough of this place to last me lifetime." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

_Okay, first of all, Simone is obviously an OC that I created specifically for thos story and so she belongs to me and second of all, I wanted to show more of Leliana's getting recruited by the wardens, but I was in a bit of a rush and this chapter itself seemed long enough already in my opinion, so that's why it turned out this way, but I still do hope you enjoyed it and please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations: _

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Papae - Father _

_Banalhan - Blight _

_Dareth shiral - Farewell_

_Emm'asha__ \- My girl_

_Dirth ar - Tell me_

_Vhen'alas - (Literally: Our earth) The land itself, as in "the ground". _

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Mythal (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Da'ashalen - Little girl_

_Antivan Translations: _

_Niño bonito (Spanish) - Pretty boy_

_Next up: Chapter 17:Planning _


	21. Chapter 17:Planning

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Do we have a plan?"  
"We fight like hell."  
"Good plan."  
— Alyxandra Harvey (My Love Lies Bleeding (Drake Chronicles, #1))

**Chapter 17:Planning**

* * *

_Magic exists to serve man and never to rule over him._

A sigh escaped Cullen's lips as he remembered hearing those exact words during **every** single harrowing he'd been present at back when he was still a Templar. While he was a very much loyal and excellent knight, Cullen never enjoyed the duty he had been forced to carry out for his entire life. Honestly, he **hated** being a Templar, hated having to watch all those mages either lose their lives during their harrowing or succeed only to realize that their lives as prisoners in the Circle Tower would continue unchanged and sometimes even worse than before.

The only reason Cullen had even joined the mage-hunting order in the first place was to please his Templar father, who never once bothered to ask his son what **he** wanted in life instead of forcing him into a life he did not enjoy nor care for. As a boy, he used to look up to the Templars, but that was before he became one himself and was instantly aghast upon seeing how terrible the mages were treated by most of their Templar jailers.

But then again, he had once been genuinely interested in becoming a Templar. It was not until his parents had given him their blessing and he was informed of the true duty of the Templars, however, that he realized his mistake and never ceased to regret it. He remembered the coin his brother had given him, and how he made sure that no one found out about it lest he end losing his last connection to his family.

When he first met Natasha, the fiery, chestnut-haired fourteen-year-old girl just two summers younger than him along with her little sister Rosie, whose eyes were bloodshot as she clung to the older girl for protection, he'd almost instantly felt a strange sort of attraction to her that he simply could not explain in words. Natasha had been cold to him for at least a month, but eventually she softened up a bit on him after seeing that he was visibly different from the other Templars; Cullen actually **cared** about her people and did not agree with how harshly they were treated by the Chantry. As loyal as Cullen was to the Maker, he was not some kind of crazy zealot like Greagior or Leliana.

He recalled being so relieved when she passed her harrowing quicker than even First Enchanter Irving could have anticipated. The same went for Regina, who he felt more of a sibling-like attraction to unlike the strange infatuation he'd developed for Natasha over the last few years since her sister's death and her becoming one of Irving's star pupils. It was strange, having all of these feelings for her, for she was a mage and he was a Templar. They were both Grey Wardens now, that was true, but still, it made him feel frightened to think about such things when they had a blight to deal with at the moment, so he tried to put them aside for now, yet these thoughts always came flooding straight back to him and it vexed him more and more each time.

Cullen groaned softly to himself. Maker curse his ill-advised infatuation with her! A mage, of all things! But she was still a very beautiful mage at that, not to mention strong, passionate, fiery, and did he already mention beautiful? Yes, he had, but was there really any harm in saying it again, seeing as it was obviously true to everyone else already, especially to **him**.

Stifling another sigh, Cullen looked up into the flames of the campfire and his eyes flickered above the flames and across from him to where Natasha was seated with her eyes glued to an open book in her lap while her cheek rested comfortably on her palm. Next to her was Regina trying to ignore Zevran while he brazenly flirted with the elven mage, whose green eyes glinted with exasperation and Cullen could have sworn he saw a small flame beginning to form in her palm. Given the fact that Simone was laughing her head off from where she sat right next to a mostly silent Alistair, Cullen figured the white-haired human woman had also seen the flame Regina was contemplating to throw at Zevran.

"Ah, it seems one of our former Templars cannot keeper his eyes off of our fiery, chesnut-haired heroine." Zevran's sly voice was filled with amusement as he and Simone had suddenly turned their attention away from the two females mages and Alistair in favor of making Cullen a target of their constant teasing instead. It was already obvious to everyone that both Simone and Zevran, but mostly Zevran, received plenty of amusement from embarrassing or teasing other people.

Cullen frowned at them both, looking away so they wouldn't see the blush threatening to cover his cheeks."I-I don't know what you're talking about." Maker's breath, he was terrible at lying, probably why he made such an excellent Templar in the very stern and extremely pious eyes of Greagior.

Clearly not convinced, Zevran chuckled lightly."There is no need to lie, my friend. She is quite a marvel indeed. In fact, I may attempt to turn my charms on her in the near future if her elven friend still refuses my advances-"

Reaching out, Simone smacked Zevran upside the head."Are you trying to get us killed, Zev?!" She blurted out, casting a discrete glance over to Natasha was now chatting quietly with Regina about something then turning to roll her eyes at the playful pout Zevran gave her as he rubbed the back of his now slightly aching head."As much as I love watching you get turned down by the elven mage, I do **not** fancy the idea of actually getting barbecued alive by Natasha like one of our mage companions who led them into the ambush was earlier today! So please, just try **not** to flirt with someone who would much likely burn you to ashes rather than show any interest in your advances."

Cullen couldn't help but feel a little intrigued by the way Simone spoke to Zevran, her sapphire eyes glinting with something akin to annoyance and perhaps worry both rolled into one. These two seemed to have known each other for a long time and while Simone was just as playful as well as flirtatious as Zevran most of the time, she showed herself as being slightly more serious than the elven man sometimes. It was strange to Cullen and based on the frown that Alistair's face wore, he figured the other former Templar felt the same way about their two new wild yet interesting members of the party.

Rolling her eyes again, Simone ignored Zevran's playful whimpering and turned with a grin to Alistair, who seemed to shudder beneath her gaze as she scooted closer to him and began speaking flirtatiously to in a similar way that Zevran had done with Regina earlier. Cullen could only watch as Zevran laughed while Alistair blushed heavily after Simone whispered something very inappropriate into his ear. She threw him another grin before slowly standing up and sauntering away from the campfire and into her tent, closing the flaps behind her.

"What did she tell you?" Cullen asked once Zevran had eventually left as well.

Still blushing, Alistair shook his head."Trust me, you **don't** want to know."

Cullen raised an eyebrow in confusion at first, but then nodded slowly in shocked realization with wide eyes and swallowed thickly. He should **not** have asked.

* * *

For as long as he could remember, Ser Gilmore had always nothing short of a loyal, faithful, strong, and courageous knight in service to Castle Cousland.

That was what all of his former comrades and loved ones used to call him when they were all still alive, that is. One could not even so much as imagine what kind of torture Howe must have put whatever few surviving soldiers and people, including the Teryn and Teryne, through that fateful day. It had been just a day or two more than a week, but to Ser Gilmore, it felt like an enternity had gone by with Howe still free and rewarded for his despicable actions whilst Valerie and Ser Gilmore and their fellow wardens were all wrongfully branded as traitors and struggling to stay alive everyday while **also** beginning the most likely **very** difficult process of gathering allies in order to protect Ferelden and all of it's idiotic citizens from the dangers of this new blight.

'And to think **I** used to **dream** about becoming a Grey Warden.' The knight thought to himself with a harsh scoff of self-mockery and scorn. There was nothing good about becoming a Grey Warden, with him and Valerie both having lost everyone important to them in just one day thanks to Howe, then watched two men die during their joining, and **then** barely escaped the gruesome fate that Loghain's betrayal had nearly brought them while still costing the lives of an entire army.

He was such a naive fool to have so easily fallen into the tempting trap of childhood fantasies. Reality was always cruel as soon as it sunk in and once it did, things simply got worse and worse as time went on. Things were even worse for Valerie; the blonde hardly spoke, having nightmares of either her dead family and friends, her missing older brother, darkspawn, or all three in a row every night. Guilt plagued him constantly and prevented him from sleeping peacefully as well, but it was clearly affecting **her** far more terribly than it was **him**.

Even Leonard was worried about his mistress, often looking at Ser Gilmore with a whimper escaping him as he had to usually either nudge Valerie or bark loudly a few times to make her wake up and come back to the pitiful land of the living, which actually made her **miss** those horrid nightmares a little bit. Life was anything **but** good to them right now, and fear of things actually worsening in even the slightest bit was literally the **only** thing keeping Ser Gilmore from asking either himself or anyone else, in his head or out loud, if things could **really** get **any** worse than they were now.

Sighing, he shook his head and shut his eyes as he lay in bedrooll inside of his tent, trying to get what little amount of sleep the taint in his blood would allow in this moment.

'Perhaps what Ser Jory said was true, after all.' He thought sadly.'There really was no honor in becoming a Grey Warden, was there?'

He did even **want** to know the answer to that dreadful question, and so it was with another weary sigh that the former knight finally fell into a restless sleep plagued by more dreams of darkspawn and the archdemon singing it's strange, frightening song, to the horde.

* * *

"So, we have three different groups: The Circle Tower, The _Elvhenan, _and the _Durgen'len._" Jade sighed as she spoke with all three of their Grey Warden treaties laid out on the her bedroll while she and Valerie discussed what their next planned move would be to start recruiting allies to fight against the blight.

"As well as Redcliffe." With a frown, she turned to human woman."What do you think we should do first, Val?"

"Don't you and Tamlem want to look for your people first?" Valerie queried softly.

Jade hesitated briefly before shaking her head ever so slowly with a sigh."I would like to do so, yes, but I have no leads on any clans that might be camped around out this area. Since all keepers can sense the dangers of the _Banalhan_, most clans, including my own, have most likely already fled this area by now. Finding any clan of my people at all would take weeks to say the least, so we are better off securing what groups **are** within our reach at the moment."

"Well, the **last** thing we should do is go to Redcliffe then." Valerie stated somewhat bitterly."We are better off trusting those who have signed the treaties then we are wasting our time with Arl Eamon." Leonard barked and growled softly as if in agreement with his mistress.

Jade raised an eyebrow."I sense a history of bad blood between you and the _shemlen_ arl of Redcliffe, _lethallan_." She stated calmly, evoking a contemptuous snort from the blonde.

"Then I'd say you have excellent senses." Valerie replied, narrowing her eyes as she spoke."Alistair may claim that Arl Eamon is a good man, but in my opinion, he's the exact opposite." She sighed."You already know that King Cailan was a good friend of mine, and so is his widow, Queen Anora. I met them at one of the royal balls they threw at their castle and kept in touch with them both afterwards. Anora and I sent each other letters whenever we could, and even though I had as little trust in her father Loghain as I did Arl Howe, you can imagine I never expected either of them to...do what they did."

"What does this have to do with your relationship with Arl Eamon?"

Valerie hesitated."You remember when Alistair said that Cailan was Eamon's nephew? And how Cailan joked about why he didn't want Eamon at Ostagar?" Jade nodded curtly, eyebrow still raised, and Valerie let out another sigh."The **real** reason why Cailan didn't want his uncle there was because, well, they haven't exactly been on good terms lately."

"How so?"

"Cailan and Anora were married for five years, but Anora was never able to give him an heir during that time, so there were some rumors going on that the queen was..." She sighed once more."...that the queen was most likely barren."

"And so Eamon was among those who believed these rumors?" Jade asked with a frown."I fail to see how a mere five years can mark someone as being barren. He could have just been a little patient, being the fact that we are in the middle of a _Banalhan _right now. Such a time is hardly good for talk of heirs and royalty when what we **need** to do is focus on staying alive to live to have any _len_."

Valerie snorted."Try telling that to Eamon. I remember when my father had me and Fergus accompany him to a landsmeet almost a year ago in Denerim. We ended up walking in on an altercation between Eamon and Cailan about Anora's rumored infertility. Eamon was trying to persuade Cailan to...to leave Anora and find a new wife who could grant him an heir. You see, Anora and Loghain don't have any royal blood. Loghain was born a commoner before he became the Hero of River Dane, so..yeah...a lot of people though that the Maker was punishing them for putting a commoner on the throne by Anora's apparent inability to have children."

"Did Eamon believe this as well?" Jade asked, scowling in disgust.

Valerie shrugged."His wife, Isolde did, that's for sure. She's a very pious woman, and an Orlesian too. She's also **much** younger than Eamon and for awhile a lot of people thought the same thing about **her** that they did about Anora."

"The Arlessa of Redcliffe is infertile?"

Sighing, Valerie shook her head."No, but it took her more than a decade to have Cailan's cousin, Connor, who is actually just about the same age as Oren was." She smiled sadly and shut her eyes."The last time Cailan and I spoke was right before the battle at Ostagar began. H-He told me the real reason why he didn't want Eamon there and confessed to me that while he really **did** love Anora deeply, he was starting to suspect that maybe his uncle was right. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he cut the conversation short and thanks to Loghain, I had to watch both him **and** Duncan die that night."

"_Emma ir abelas, ma falon_." Jade said, placing a hand on Valerie's shoulder."You have my word that we **will** avenge your family, King Cailan, Duncan, and everyone else who died at Ostagar because of what Loghain did." Leonard barked again, and rubbed his head against his mistress's side, making her chortle and scratch his ears in response.

"I appreciate that, Jade." She said with a genuine smile then went straight back to their previous task."So, what **will** our first move be?"

Jade looked back down at the treaties."The Circle of Magi seems to be our closest option at the moment. We can start heading there in the morning, then Tamlen and I are going to see if we can find any leads on the _Elvhenan, _then we go to the _Durgen'len _for their help, and **then** we go to this Arl Eamon of Redcliffe. Creators know this will be a **very** long journey for all of us." She shook her head and sighed at the thought of it.

Valerie moaned."Tell me about it. It's going to take us **months** if not more than a full **year** to gather the allies we need to stop this blight before we can so much as even **hope** to finally bring Loghain and Howe to justice for their crimes."

Jade shut her eyes, but said nothing in response.

* * *

_Finally back from hiatus and happily updating once again. Next update can be expected sometime during the weekend or maybe a little bit later than that. In the meantime, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization._

_Durgen'len - (Literally: Children of the stone) Dwarves _

_Banalhan - Blight_

_Shemlen/Shems - Humans_

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Emma ir abelas, ma falon - I'm very sorry, my friend _

_Len - Child/Children_

_Next up: Chapter 18:Reflections _


	22. Chapter 18:Reflections

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Begin to see the violence around you; begin to see the violence within you."  
— Bryant McGill (Voice of Reason)

**Chapter 18:Reflections**

* * *

_Bloodcurling screams echoed through the forest, coming from all directions as the pleading voices of innocent men, women, and children desperately cried out for help, but recieved none. In response to their cries of despair and agony came only the frightening screeches of the darkspawn, growing louder and louder while they slaughtered so many innocent people like animals. It was simply **horrible** for lack of any better word, enough to drive someone insane because of how heartbreaking and loud the screeches and screams were for both the ears and the heart to hear._

_Sitting on the ground in the center of the forest, Zoë's hands covered her ears as she tried to block out all of these sounds that threatened to make her ears bleed. Some voices were very familiar, belonging to people she knew and loved deeply, others to mere strangers who she never knew nor heard of. That did not matter, however, for whether or not she knew those suffering did not do anything to change guilt and dole that filled Zoë's entire body. She had failed all of these people, failed her family, failed her friends, failed **everyone**._

_She shook her head vehemently in an attempt to drive such dreadful thoughts from her mind, and felt her heart skip a beat when a loud roar suddenly echoed through the forest, sounding like it was coming from high above. Zoë looked up slowly, eyes widening in shocked terror at the sight of the archdemon flying high up on the sky, roaring as loud as possibly before it looked down at her, it's gaze making her feel as if she was about to melt into a puddle because of the pure terror it filled her with. _

_That was when the archdemon suddenly swooped down toward the elf at full speed and swiped her in it's grasp. _

* * *

Zoë gasped as she sat upright in her bedroll, panting heavily and covered in enough sweat to fill more than just a few tubs. Stifling a groan, she soon remembered what Jade had mentioned about Alistair's recent revelation of bad dreams that every Grey Warden had after they went through the joining. With dreams of getting caught by the archdemon now plaguing her sleep, Zoë didn't know whether to be aghast or wryly amused at the thought of how she now needed to deal with darkspawn dreams for the next few weeks if not months instead of all those dreams of _mamae's_ death she'd had almost every night before becoming a Grey Warden.

A humorless laugh escaped the former city elf's lips at the thought of that. She'd always been desperate to stop dreaming about _mamae_ and now she was stuck dreaming about darkspawn, archdemons, and everything else related to the blight. The Maker who Leliana never shut up about just loved to torture His so-called beloved children with all of these blights, corruption, and poverty. If this stupid _shemlen_ god even existed, then he might as well simply finish everyone off before the darkspawn do. That at least would be thë most nicest and merciful thing He could ever do for them.

It was a completely different story with the Creators who she and Regina had learned about from Jade. They had been betrayed and had no choice when imprisoned by the treacherous Dread Wolf known as _Fen'Harel_. And if the Creators were still free, as Jade had originally stated with the slightest hint of bitter arrogance in her voice, they could and would still walk amongst their people just like they had done in the past.

All these thoughts of gods and religion reminded Zoë of the night when she'd awoken from a bad dream about Shianni only mere hours after Duncan recruited her in Denerim. She sighed quietly and bit her lip, unable to keep from worrying about how her family was doing without her there to keep the promise she'd made to _mamae_ right before she died and take care of _papae_, Soris, and Shianni. Hope that they were alright was painfully mixed with the sad possibility that they most likely thought her to be dead along with the rest of the Grey Wardens and most of the king's army that had perished because of Loghain's treachery at Ostsgar.

Zoë's head snapped up when she suddenly heard what sounded like someone singing, and swiftly moved to undo the flaps of her tent, peeking out to see Jade sitting alone in front of the campfire. The huntress's eyes were closed as the unfamiliar words to an Elvish song escaped her lips. It was obviously not the same one she'd-sang for the other female wardens before Ostagar, but it was just as bittersweet to both the ears and heart as the other tune had been.

_"Melava inan enansal  
ir su araval tu elvaral  
u na emma abelas  
in elgar sa vir mana  
in tu setheneran din emma na_

_lath sulevin  
lath araval ena  
arla ven tu vir mahvir  
melana 'nehn  
enasal ir sa lethalin." _

Jade's eyes slowly opened as she looked up to see a hesitantly approaching Zoë. She gave a small smile, though it seemed to be rather forced and clearly sad. Zoë herself resisted the urge to frown at the huntress from both weariness and vexation as she took a seat next to her friend. The two elven women were silent as they stared deeply into the campfire for a few moments before Zoë finally looked at Jade and with a little bit of hesitation, she spoke.

"What was that song about?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know what the lyrics translate to in the common tongue, but I've been told by Keeper Marethari that it tells the story of the _Elvhenan's_ struggles with losing our homeland and our own personal struggles as well." Jade's eyes remained glued to the campfire as she spoke, never once even glancing at Zoë as if only half of her mind was paying any attention to the former city elf whilst the other half was in very deep thought about something else, and Zoë already had a few ideas as to what that something probably was.

"Did you have another dream about your father?" Jade shook her head very slowly in response, though she still did not look at other elf. With a sigh, she bit her lip and finally turned her head to meet Zoë's gaze with her own.

"It was the archdemon." She said with another sigh."I was in the forest listening to so many innocent people die at the hands of the darkspawn, and then the archdemon just appeared out of nowhere and swiped me in it's grasp."

Zoë's eyes widened in shocked disbelief."I had the exact same dream just now too!" She exclaimed then quickly lowered her voice to a whisper so she would not wake up everyone else in camp."How is that possible that we both had the exact same dream?!"

Jade blinked, then eventually gave a nonchalant shrug and looked back into the campfire."When I last spoke to Alistair about Grey Warden dreams, he said that there were some cases when just a few or all of the Grey Wardens had the same dream about the archdemon or the darkspawn." She chuckled lightly."I honestly did not need to hear that he'd screamed so loudly during **his** first Grey Warden dream that Duncan thought there was someone else in the room with him, however. **That** part was most definitely rather superfluous in my opinion, though I will not deny the fact that it is quite an amusing thought to dwell on if I ever need a good laugh."

Zoë could not hold back an equally amused grin in response."Remind me to tease him about that later on."

Jade chuckled again, though it quickly quieted down and her small smile became a frown as she sighed deeply."We're going to start heading for the Circle of Magi in the morning. Once we get their aid against the _Banalhan_, Tamlen and I are going to start looking to see if we can any Dalish clans camped around that area in the forest."

"Do you think we could find your clan?" Zoë inquired.

"Unlikey." Jade replied with a shake of her head."They've no doubt fled by now, but knowing Keeper Marethari, she and the rest of the clan will be among the first to rush to help us end this _Banalhan_ as soon as they hear news of mine and Tamlen's survival. It is a good thing that they will want to honor the treaty like everyone else, but it is a hard thought to know that they shall also be endangering themselves in the process."

Zoë hesitated."I think all of us, whether we're trying to end this blight before it actually begins or not, are endangering ourselves right now."

Lowering her eyes, Jade nodded curtly in agreement then sighed softly."I cannot possibly argue with that statement, _lethallan_." She sighed once more."I miss my clan."

Zoë nodded empathetically."I understand. I never thought I'd actually miss that pigsty of an Alienage that I used to call home, but now I do. Maybe it's just because I miss all of my friends and family back home."

"Yes," Jade agreed,", it is hard being away from my clan, but at least Tamlen and I have each other to help us cope."

"How are thing going on between you two?" Zoë asked hesitantly.

Jade let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head."Still distant and odious, I'm afraid. We haven't really gotten a chance to speak about it since leaving Lothering, and since he's gone back to avoiding me like a plague, it looks like things are going to stay that way for awhile."

"Maybe you should try talking to him." Zoë suggested.

"Tried," The huntress answered curtly with a snort of derision,", and failed."

"I suppose he just needs some time, Jade." The former city elf said quietly.

"Yeah," Jade said with a sigh then snorted derisively again,", time is something we all need right now, _lethallan_, but can't have."

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Elven Translations: _

_Mamae - Mother _

_Papae - Father _

_Shems/Shemlen - Humans _

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization._

_Banalhan - Blight _

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female) _

_Fen'Harel (Literally: The Dread Wolf) An enigmatic trickster god of the elves, whose betrayal of both the benevolent Creators and malefic Forgotten Ones is the only explanation most elves have to explain the destruction of Arlathan.  
_

_Lyrics to Suledin (Endure) An Elvish Song:_

_Elvish:_

_Melava inan enansal  
ir su araval tu elvaral  
u na emma abelas  
in elgar sa vir mana  
in tu setheneran din emma na_

_lath sulevin  
lath araval ena  
arla ven tu vir mahvir  
melana 'nehn  
enasal ir sa lethalin_

_English:_

_Time was once a blessing  
but long journeys are made longer  
when alone within.  
Take spirit from the long ago  
but do not dwell in lands no longer yours._

_Be certain in need,  
and the path will emerge  
to a home tomorrow  
and time will again  
be the joy it once was_

_Next up: Chapter 19:Welcome Home...Not!_


	23. Chapter 19:Welcome HomeNot!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more."  
― Robin Hobb, _Fool's Fate_

**Chapter 19:Welcome Home...Not!**

* * *

Shutting her eyes tightly, Jade struggled to swallow down the ire boiling within her which threatened to explode from her chest as she narrowed her eyes at the irritating Templar standing with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest in front of her. She took a deep breath to calm herself and smiled as politely as possible at, what was his name again?Carroll, maybe? Yes, that was it.

Just as Jade opened her mouth to speak, however, Cullen took a tentative step forward, frowning at Caroll."Caroll, please, we need to get into the Tower and speak with Irving and Greagior. Just take us across. I **beg** you."

"No!" Caroll shook his vehemently and stamped his foot like an immature boy."I've one job, and one job only, and by the Maker's shiny gold cutlery, I will do it!"

"We come here as Grey Wardens seeking help from the Circle of Magi, Ser Carroll." Valerie stated calmly as she retrieved one of their documents from her pack and held it up for him to see.

Caroll scoffed, unimpressed."Oh, a Grey Warden treaty! So you're supposed to be one of those. Well, I've got some papers too! They say I'm the Queen of Antiva! What do you have to say to that?"

"Did we miss the royal coronation or something?" Simone whispered with a smirk to Zevran, who laughed quietly in response.

"It would appear so." He answered back, still laughing quietly to himself.

"That's it!" Natasha growled, the sound of her staff being slammed loudly against the ground bringing everyone's attention to her. With an enraged scowl, the vexed mage marched right over to Caroll, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked towards her with such force that he yelped in surprise as his face was suddenly mere inches away from hers, making it impossible for him not to notice the malice glint in her grey eyes.

"Listen, Chantry dweeb!" She spoke through gritted teeth."I've been having a very bad week so far and you standing here wasting my time with all of your sudden loyalty and devotion for the Chantry is not making it any better!"

Regina moved to try to calm her friend, but Cullen beat her to it. The former Templar hesitated for a moment before gently grasping Natasha's arm, and at his touch she seemed to calm down a little, though she still continued to glare at Carroll even after she finally released her grip on his collar and shoved him roughly away from her. A period of uncomfortable silence settled between them all until Jade cleared her throat and turned with an ominously calm look on her face to a rather shaken Carroll.

"Unless you want to get burned alive by my very livid friend over here," She gestured nonchalantly to Natasha then lifted her chin with an air of superiority at the man,", I suggest you take us across the lake to the tower right now."

Eyes wide, Carroll nodded vigorously."B-But of course!" He stuttered, straightening up quickly."Just figure out who you're taking with you and I'll take you across right away!"

Jade nodded curtly at him then turned to her companions, studying every single one of them thoughtfully for a moment before sighing and making her decision."Nat, Regina, Cullen, Zevran, Simone, Tamlen, and Zoë, all of you are coming with me to the tower. " She looked at Valerie."Val, can you take everyone else back to the inn with you?" At the blonde's small nod, she sighed again and flicked her head at Carroll.

"Take us across." The Templar nodded vigorously at her in reponse and hurried to get ready for their trip across the lake, causing Natasha to roll her eyes in exasperation when he tripped over his own foot in the process and hit the ground like a rock.

Jade stifled a sigh.'This is going to be a long day for us.'

* * *

"What the heck is going on here?" Natasha muttered under her breath with a frown as she looked warily around the tower which was literally in a state of utter chaos at the moment. There were Templars running all around the place, bumping into each other like the ignorant buffoons they were while some cried out in panic and other tripped over their own feet. It would have been funny if it weren't so pathetic as well.

Greagior was not hard to find, but because the man was so busy giving orders to one of his men, he did not seem to even notice the group of Grey Wardens slowly coming to a stop right in front of him. Cullen cleared his throat in an attempt to get his former commander's attention, but Greagior didn't hear him. A sigh escaped the former Templar's lips as he lowered his head and Natasha could have sworn she felt his eyes linger on her for a very brief moment before flickering back at Greagior who had finally finished speaking with his men and slowly turned to face the new arrivals, sighing deeply as he did so.

"Now we wait and pray." He muttered under his breath, the worried wrinkles on his face making him look much older than when Natasha had last seen him.

"Hello, Ser." Cullen said quietly, though no one except for Natasha heard him.

Regina nodded politely."Good to see you again, Greagior." She said in such a quiet and slightly sarcastic tone of voice that it was obvious to everyone that she didn't mean a single word of it at all.

With a sarcastic scoff, Natasha moved to stand beside Jade and sneered contemptuously at Greagior."And here I thought you were out of my life forever."

Greagior looked at her like he was trying very hard not to scowl or shout at her."Well, look who's back." His eyes briefly flickered over to Regina and Cullen then locked back onto the woman before him."All three of you are proper Grey Wardens now from what I can see." He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms with a small shrug of his shoulders."Glad to see you're not dead."

Natasha rolled her eyes."You don't meant that."

Greagior's eyes narrowed."Perhaps I do, perhaps I do not. At the moment, however, I am dealing with a plight that does not involve any of you, Grey Wardens."

"Natasha and Regina may be Grey Wardens, but they are still mages as well, Knight-Commander." Cullen chimed in, eyes lowered as he avoided making eye contact with Greagior and thus did not notice the way Natasha's lips seemed to twitch for a very brief second before she went back to staring silently at Greagior with an emotionless look on her face.

Greagior studied Cullen thoughtfully before sighing and bringing up his hands to rub his temples wearily."I shall speak plainly then." He slowly raised his head and turned to look at Jade with a grim look on his face."The tower is no longer under our control. There are abominations and demons currently stalking it's halls." He sighed, shaking his head."We were too complacent. First Jowan, now this." His icy eyes flickered toward both Natasha and Regina, though most of his attention seemed to be solely on Natasha."Do not think I have forgotten either of your roles in Jowan's escape."

Regina scoffed in disbelief, eyebrow raised."You cannot possibly still be annoyed about that." She shook her head."Who am I kidding, of course you're still annoyed about that!"

Natasha lifted her chin defiantly as she locked eyes with Greagior. She was still angry at Jowan for betraying her, but she did not regret helping him and would have gladly done so again."I'm glad my friend was able to escape from you."

Greagior scowled at her."I can only hope that someday, Jowan will get exactly what he deserves. But right now, I have other, much more pressing concerns to deal with."

Natasha smiled sweetly in response, and spoke with both venom and sarcasm rolled into one."Sounds like the Templars haven't been doing their jobs." She gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders and snorted derisively."Can't say that I'm too surprised by this, though."

Greagior shot her a glare."My men did what they could, but we were all taken by surprise. We were prepared for one or two abominations, but certainly not the horde that fell upon us."

"If it's that dangerous," Jade said, eyebrow raised suspiciously,"then why in _Mythal's_ name are you all still here?"

The Knight-Commander seemed more than content to ignore Natasha and turn his attention over to Jade instead."It is our duty, as Templars, to watch over the tower. We shall stand guard and see it to that nothing gets out." His eyes narrowed and glinted with stern determination."And I mean **nothing**."

"I see." Jade murmured, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as she seemed to be studying the human man before her like a quarry she chased during one of her hunts.

Greagior sighed."If it were up to **me**, **I** would destroy the tower, raze it to the ground, but I cannot risk anymore of my men. For now, the doors remain shut and they shall stay that way in order to protect myself and my men."

Natasha dug her nails into the wood of her staff while clenching her other hand into such a tight fist that she resisted the urge to wince in pain when she felt her nails dig so painfully and deeply into her palm that they actually drew blood."So you just shut everyone in there?!" She blurted out angrily."Including innocent mages?!"

Greagior shook his head, his eyes weary and almost sad."Not just mages, but my own Templars as well." A shudder ran through his body as he recalled the ordeal and his eyes shut tightly as if he was struggling to remain composed."I had no choice. Those horrid abominations must be contained at all costs. We do not intend to keep the doors shut forever, however. Everything in the tower must be eliminated." He looked away and shifted uncomfortably."I have already sent word to Denerim calling for reinforcements and the Right of Annulment."

Cullen's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in shock and horror."What?!" He and Regina both cried in unison.

Jade frowned in confusion."What is the Right of Annulment?" She asked curiously. The question was directed at Greagior, but Natasha responded instead and her voice was filled with nothing but scorn as she spoke.

"It's a fancy name that the Chantry uses for when they decide to slaughter the entire Circle." The mage stated with such acidity that even Zevran and Simone looked aghast by her words, while Zoë put a hand over her mouth to muffle her soft gasp of shock and horror, and Tamlen's eyes glinted with contempt as he glared coldly at Greagior.

"Knight-Commander, is this true?" Jade asked, eyebrow raised questioningly and light blue eyes looking as if they were staring straight into the man's soul.

Tamlen sneered."Can we really expect anything less from a _shemlen, lethallan?" _

"This situation is dire." Greagior argued through gritted teeth."There is absolutely **no** possible alternative. Everything, and I mean **everything** in the tower must be destroyed so it can be made safe again."

"Oh come on!" Simone huffed in irritation."Mages are certainly not at all defenseless. There has to be at least a few of them in there that are still alive."

"If any are still somehow alive, then the Maker Himself has no doubt shielded them." Greagior replied darky then shook his head vehemently."But no one could have possibly survived those monstrous creatures. It is just far too painful to hope for survivors only to find...nothing."

"You're the one who is blame for all of this chaos, you bastard!" Natasha shouted, slamming her staff loudly against the floor and pointing an accusing finger at Greagior."It was **you** who locked them all in, after all!" She spat at him, getting all up in his face.

"And what else would you have me do?!" He demanded, throwing his hands up in frustration and locking eyes with Natasha."Leave the doors open and allow the abominations to simply poor out?!"

"Enough!" Jade yelled, getting in between her friend and the Knight-Commander to swiftly force them apart before sighing deeply and turning her attention over to the latter."I give you my deepest sympathies for your current plight, Knight-Commander, but as you already know, we are in the middle of another, much more serious situation that your people refer to as a blight at the moment and we need the help of the mages in order to end it. If you let us through those doors right now, then I give my word that we will kill all of the abominations inside and make sure that any survivors who we happen to find while doing so are brought back safely and unharmed. That includes both your men and the mages."

It took some more persuasion, but Greagior eventually agreed to let them in, though it was only under the condition that the First Enchanter himself be brought before him and swear to him that the tower was once again safe. If anything else occurred, however, then he and his men would kill everyone in the tower without any hesitation whatsoever. Jade agreed to this, and exchanged solemn nods with Natasha as the doors were slowly opened for them and they stepped inside before the doors were once again shut behind them.

"Maker watch over us all." Cullen muttered under his breath as he clutched his sword tightly and prepared himself for the dangers they were about to face.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Next up: Chapter 20:Just A Dream _


	24. Chapter 20:Just A Dream

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it. **

* * *

"She wanted to return to her dream. Perhaps it was still somewhere there behind her closed eyelids. Perhaps a little of its happiness still clung like gold dust to her lashes. Don't dreams in fairy tales sometimes leave a token behind?"  
― Cornelia Funke, _Inkheart_

**Chapter 20:Just A Dream**

* * *

Inside of a large bedroom located within a breathtaking and humungous estate, all was quiet. The door was wooden, decorated with the finest of patterns painted on the wood and the doorknob made of only the most expensive and exquisite jewels to have ever existed. Solid gold sparkled off the walls bright enough for one to see their reflection in the wall instead of the mirror that stood beside a gigantic bed so long that it nearly reached the center of the room. Light orange and yellow curtains covered both sides of the bed, slightly concealing the occupant of the bed as they slept silently and peacefully.

Chestnut-colored hair was free of it's usual loose ponytail and instead lay in a pool on the pillow and around the occupant of the bed's head. No sound interrupted the quietude of the room except for the almost inaudible sound of the soft breathing of the bed's slumbering occupant. For what seemed like forever, everything was completely quiet. That was until the door abruptly swung open and the very loud sound of a few pairs of tiny feet tapping against the wooden floor caused the occupant's grey eyes to snap open as she sat up, now wide awake, just a second before two childish squeals pierced her ears followed by what the curtains near her bed being moved aside and two very little yet rather heavy bodies literally jumping right on top of her.

"Agh!" She yelped in surprise, grunting as her two 'assailants' both giggled and squealed loudly when she tried to gently push them off her.

"Good morning, big sister!" Two adorable voices said in unison as they both threw their arms around her neck and continued to giggle.

Natasha gasped, grey eyes widening once more and complexion turning whiter than a sheet. She felt as if she had seen a ghost, and maybe she really had."R-Rosie?" She choked out, her voice hoarse and almost inaudible due to the shock she was currently feeling."S-Samuel?" She wondered if the two people embracing were really her long lost little siblings or if she had simply lost her mind and was imagining things.

The two small children pulled away from her, confused frowns on their face, and Natasha could only gape at them. Right in front of her sat Rosie, dark brown eyes sparkling in that adorable way they always did whenever she smiled or tried to make someone else smile while her long blonde hair was tied up in it's usual pigtails and a few bangs rested on her forehead. As for Samuel, his black hair was neatly combed and light green eyes as bright and endearing as ever. For awhile, all Natasha could do was stare silently at her two youngest little siblings and wonder if they were actually real. She had thought them dead, but for the life of her, Natasha could not fathom just **why** she would ever think such an awful thing.

Had it all just been a dream? Had she merely dreamt that Rosie and Samuel, along with Daylen and Solona, were all dead? Of course she had! There was no way that Samuel would turn to blood magic and allow a demon to posses him, nor would Daylen or Rosie ever kill themselves, and Solona would most certainly never sacrifice herself to save the life of a Templar, especially the wretched Knight-Commander of all people.

"Are you alright, big sister?" Rosie asked, concern written across her features.

Samuel tilted his head to the side, looking equally concerned and confused."Did you have a bad dream?"

Natasha blinked away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and with a cry of joy, reached out to grab both Rosie and Samuel and pull them to her in a tight embrace that caused the two of them to squeal loudly in surprise before they laughed gleefully in unison and returned her embrace just as tightly. After another moment, she released them, not even bothering to protest as they dragged her out of bed while explaining to her that their mother had sent them to wake her up so she wouldn't sleep all day and risk falling into a coma as a result. That had produced an amused half-snort out of Natasha, who could very easily picture her mother saying something like that.

There was an abrupt knock at the door, though the person on the other side of it did not even bother to wait and instead swung it open without hesitation. Two more visitors entered the room, their appearance causing Natasha's heart to skip a beat in pleasant surprise.

"Glad to see someone is finally awake from her very long slumber." Daylen drawled, his brown hair messy and blue eyes filled with amusement like always.

Solona tittered in agreement, running her fingers through the ponytail that her orange hair was tied up in."For once I agree with Daylen; Mother was worried sick that if we didn't wake you up ourselves soon you'd drift into a coma!"

"So I've heard." Natasha replied, flicking her head at both Rosie and Samuel."Better not keep her waiting than." She sighed softly.

After washing up and getting changed very quickly, Natasha allowed her younger siblings to drag her downstairs, through the hallway, and into the kitchen where she could recognize the smell of pancakes and orange juice a mile away. Daylen gracefully stepped forward, pushed the door open, and jokingly bowed deeply like a proper knight to Natasha before motioning for her to step inside the kitchen.

"Enter please, milady." He said, putting on a bad Orlesian accent that made Solona wrinkle her nose at him in annoyance while Rosie and Samuel both tittered behind their hands. Natasha just rolled her eyes fondly at him in response before making her way into the kitchen and happily running into the open arms of her mother, Revka.

"Good morning, my child." Revka said warmly as they pulled away."I trust you slept well?"

"We think big sister had a bad dream, mommy." Rosie said shyly, studying her feet.

"A bad dream, you say?" Revka frowned, looking at her eldest in concern."Are you feeling well now, my dear?"

Natasha smiled to reassure her mother."I'm fine, Mother, a little bit shaken but perfectly fine now. Don't worry about me."

"Oh come now, dear." Revka replied with a chuckle."If I didn't worry about you and your brothers and sisters then I wouldn't exactly be a good mother now, would I?"

"We would all still love you anyway, mommy." Samuel said.

Revka smiled warmly."Yes, I know you would, my little boy, just as I will always love you all as well."

"Even Daylen?" Solona quipped, jabbing a thumb toward her older brother.

"Hey!" Daylen yelled indignantly.

"Yes, my dear Solona, even Daylen." Revka said, rolling her eyes at her children's usual antics. Her smile quickly returned as she turned back to her eldest and reached out to gently grasp Natasha's hands in her own."Now then, my dear, I suggest that you eat your breakfast swiftly and quickly make yourself presentable before your fiancé arrives to see you."

Natasha looked up, a frown of perplexity spreading across her face."Fiancé?"

Revka laughed, stroking Natasha's hair fondly."Oh my dearest little girl, it seems as though that unpleasant dream you had last night has left you a little bit shaken and confused, but don't you worry. Once your beloved future husband gets here, I'm sure that-"

"Too late, Mother." Daylen interjected with a smirk as the door to kitchen swung open and one of the servants walked inside, bowing respectfully at Revka.

"My apologies for interrupting your treasured time with your children, Mistress Revka, but your eldest daughter's soon-to-be husband has arrived early this morning and is very eager to see his future bride today." The servant opened the door and held it open for the family's new guest to come inside before bowing again and quickly exiting the room.

Natasha gasped, putting a hand over her mouth as she gaped at the man standing in front of her."C-Cullen?" She stammered, more shocked than ever to see him of all people here.

"Good morning, my love." He said warmly, a wide smile on his handsome face as walked over to Natasha and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead."I know I am a bit early, but I was in a bit of a rush and I simply could not wait to see you again."

Natasha took a step back, suddenly wanting to get as far away as possible from these people who claimed to be her family and this man who looked, sounded, and smelled so much like the real Cullen, but he did not act very much like the Cullen she knew. This man who had just kissed her forehead and called her his love was too brave and confident to be real; the Cullen that she had known for so many years was shy, sweet, friendly, respectful, and would never refer to her as his love, nor would he ever kiss her without her permission, even if they were betrothed to one another.

Besides, he was a Templar and she a mage. By law, they could never be together. It all suddenly came flooding back to her; she was a Grey Warden and had been at the Circle Tower when they'd encountered a Sloth demon that...

"No." Natasha whispered, shaking her head vehemently as her voie slowly grew louder and she started backing away from these imposters."No!" She exclaimed, slapping away the fake Cullen's hand when he tried to reach out for her with a worried frown on his face.

"Is something wrong, my love?" He asked. She did not respond and instead continued to back away from him until her back hit the wall and she shoved him away from her with all of her strength, causing him to crash into a nearby table.

"Get away from me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Natasha Amell, what has gotten into you, young lady?!" Revka demanded."How dare you shove your fiancé like that? Show some respect and love, you foolish girl!"

"Maybe big sister is sick." Rosie suggested, gently taking Natasha's hand in an attempt to drag her out of the room."She should get back into bed and rest until she feels better."

"Don't touch me!" Natasha shouted, yanking her hand out of this fake Rosie's grasp as if it were on fire."You're not real! None of you are! My little siblings are all dead and I'm a Grey Warden! And so is Cullen! Heck, the real Cullen used to be a Templar before we were conscripted!"

"A Templar?" Cullen tilted his head to the side in confusion."What are you talking about, my love? And what in the Maker's name is a Grey Warden? I've never heard of such a thing."

"No!" She cried."I won't fall for your lies anymore, demons! You cannot fool me! I am a Grey Warden and I will not allow you to use me as your toy! Get away from me or I swear by Andraste that I will kill you!"

The fake Revka snarled, all signs of the motherly warmth that she'd once shown only minutes ago vanishing in the blink of an eye and being replaced by pure rage and a desire to kill."Foolish child! We offer you peace, love, safety, and joy with your loved ones, but if death, war, and destruction is what you prefer, then we shall give it to you!"

The demon that pretended to be Cullen smirked in a way that sent chills down Natasha's spine."Prepare to die, you ungrateful mortal!"

The faces of Natasha's loved one were gone in an instant, replaced by the hideous and frightening appearances of their true demon forms. A burning hatred started to boil within Natasha, her heart beating rapidly and breath coming in gasps as she fought to control the ire she felt toward these changelings for daring to impersonate those who she cared about. Before she could stop herself, the mage let out a scream of pure hatred and rage, a staff suddenly appearing in her hands as a flame began to form in her palm and her attire changed from an elegant noblewoman's dress to the mage robes she'd grown accustomed to wearing during her years in the Circle Tower before Duncan freed her by conscripting her to join his order.

With a loud roar, the demon that once impersonated Revka lunged at her. Natasha ducked, backing away from the demon and bringing up her leg to kick the demon in the chest. She struck the demon upside the head with her staff before it could recover and started to summon a fire spell when the demon suddenly shrieked loudly and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing.

The fake Cullen laughed chillingly as he approached, one hand lightly stroking Natasha's cheek while the other moved to grope her side. Natasha gasped desperately for air, struggling to free herself from the demon's grasp as it pressed her against a wall and tightened it's hold on her throat.

"Given up yet, big sister?" The fake Rosie asked sweetly, mocking her on purpose."All you have to do if you want to be happy is just relax and let us take care of you. That's all you have to do."

The fake Solona giggled, and not in an endearing way."It's true. The real world is full of nothing but death and sadness, but the Fade is a place where all of your dreams can come true." She giggled again."Literally."

"Changed your mind yet, my love?" The fake Cullen asked in amusement, chuckling as Natasha's staff fell to the floor and she fought hard to pry the fake Revka's fingers away from her throat.

"N-Never!" She choked out."I will never sumbit myself to a demon! I'd rather die!"

Before any of the demons could respond, a fireball suddenly erupted from Natasha's palm and struck the fake Revka in the face, her screams echoing through the room as she released her hold on Natasha and burned to death. Natasha coughed violently and gasped for air, looking up to glare at the fake Cullen just as he tried to pin her down with his foot. She rolled aside, grabbing her staff as she did so, and using it to strike the demon in the chest. She raised her hand as lightning erupted from her palm and electrocuted the fake Cullen until he was no longer in existence. She then turned her attention to the changelings that had taken the forms of her younger siblings.

"Big sister, no!" The fake Samuel cried, tears running down his cheeks."Don't leave us again! Please! You let that Templar Greagior kill me, let me turn to blood magic and become an abomination! Don't let that happen again! Please stay with us, big sister!"

Natasha started shaking, tears threatening to spill from her eyes."I-I cant." She stammered, the very words tearing her heart apart."I wish I could stay, but I can't. I'm so sorry. It's my fault that you all died. If I had just been a better big sister, protected you all better, none of this would have happened." She choked on sob and shook her head firmly."But I failed and now all of you are dead, because of me." Lightning started to form in her palm and she looked away from them so wouldn't have to look at those faces before she killed them. Even if they weren't her real little siblings, what she was about to do still hurt more than any physical wound ever could.

"I'm so sorry." She choked out, and then lightning erupted from her palm.

* * *

Light green eyes slowly fluttered open, bloodshot and dry due to all of the tears that they had shed. Shaky hands came up to wipe the fatigue out of her eyes and she winced at the slight pain that moving her bruised hands caused her. Her body shook uncontrollably in both pain and fear as the only source of light in her cold, tiny, and dark cell was a small window that the now setting sun shined through. But even when the sun was up, it rarely helped her see anything other than the dirty pillow and torn up sheet she used as her bed at night.

Red hair was a mess, loosely hanging over her face and around her shoulders and it's smell so repulsive that she cringed every time the unpleasant odor assaulted her nose and mouth. The elven girl hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, letting out an inaudible sigh as she tried to keep warm since the short black dress she wore was completely torn up and clung to her body like rags. She had no shoes on either, making it easy for anyone to see the scrapes, bruises, and scars on her legs. Her body was not in a healthy state, having been obviously underfed and tortured for years.

The sound of a door being swung open caused her head to snap up with a frightened gasp that became a whimper when she heard footsteps tapping against the floor and slowly making their way toward her cell where she could see their shadows growing larger on the wall as they got closer to her cell. She crawled away from the bars of her cell, curling up into a protective ball against the wall and suddenly feeling tears prick at her eyes even though she thought she had already cried away most of the remaining water in her system a long time ago.

Three figures came to a slow halt in front of her cell, two of them guards while the one in the center of the group was a middle-aged male human dressed in resplendent robes and a very elaborate staff in his hand as he looked at the elven girl through the bars of her cell as if he was sizing up a cow for a slaughter. With an ominous chuckle, the robed man made a hand gesture at one of his guards and whispered something to him that she couldn't hear. The two guards both nodded silently and exited the hallway, slamming the door behind them and leaving the terrified elven girl alone with the robed man.

"_Avanna__, c__arissima." _He purred_, _the sound of his voice sending chills down her spine. A chuckle came from his lips as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a large key, eyes never leaving hers as he put the key in the lock and as if in slow motion, opened the door to her cell. He placed the key back into his pocket and sauntered over to her, eyes glinting with sadistic amusement and lips twisted into a smirk. He stopped in front of her, kneeling so he could make eye contact with his prisoner and gently reached out to push her red bangs away from her eyes, his smirk widening slightly when he saw pure fear written across her face and noticed the way her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Did you sleep well, Regina?" He asked softly, knowing full well what the answer was already.

The elf bit her lip to stifle a whimper, shaking her head quickly in response.

"Oh?" He cocked his head to the side, feigning surprise."And why not? Is little Regina in pain again? Well then, let me help you, my pet. Just let me take care of everything." He reached out to touch her.

"No!" Her eyes were wide as she slapped his hand away and scrambled toward the door, kicking him right in the face hard enough to break his nose as she did so.

"_Venhedis_!" He growled, twisting around rapidly and throwing a fireball that struck Regina in the leg. She screamed in both surprise and pain, hitting the ground like a rock and whimpering at the pain that her new wound caused her.

With a simple spell, the now livid Magister healed his broken nose and rose to his feet, sauntering over to a completely terrified Regina.

"You little fool." He said through gritted teeth, kneeling down beside her and grabbing her roughly by the hair. She whimpered in pain, which only caused him to yank her hair harder and slam her face hard against the floor."This despicable behavior shall not be tolerated. You will be punished and when your punishment is over, you will learn some respect."

"I-I'm sorry, Master." She stammered, tears running her cheeks as she shook like a leaf."Please forgive me."

He smirked."Now that is much better, c_arissima. _But truly, you should remember to refer to me in the right way."

"Y-Yes, Grandfather." She murmured, though her voice was slightly muffled due to the hand she'd brought up to wipe the blood off her lip.

"Get the hell away from her, you demon!" A voice suddenly shouted. Both Regina and her so-called grandfather's heads snapped up at the voice just in time for an arcane bolt to strike the Magister in the chest, knocking him across the floor.

"Regina!" Natasha cried, hurrying over to the elven girl and gently grasping her shoulders."Do you know who I am?"

Regina found herself nodding weakly as she suddenly started to remember where she really was. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the Magister, who was now slowly rising to his feet with a growl as he glared darkly at both girls. She swiftly turned back to Natasha."This is a dream, isn't it? None of this is real."

Natasha smiled in relief, nodding in confirmation."That's not Danarius. It's just a demon trying to trick you."

"D-Did the demons try to trick you too?" Regina asked weakly.

Natasha bit her lip and nodded."They pretended to be my family and I barely managed to escape them."

"The others." Regina said."We have to help them."

"We will." Natasha assured her.

That was when the fake Danarius suddenly let out a scream of pure and charged at them. Natasha swiftly pushed Regina out of the way just as grease erupted from her hands all over the floor. The fake Magister yelped in surprise as he slipped on the grease and hit the ground like a rock. Not giving him a chance to recover, Natasha threw a fireball at the grease and in an instant, the grease-covered parts of the floor were on fire, the demon screaming in agony as he burned to death in the flames.

Ignoring the scene behind her, Natasha went over to Regina and offered her a hand up."Let's get out of here and free the others."

Regina stared at the hand being offered to her for a moment before nodding her head in agreement and accepting it.

"Let's go." She whispered.

* * *

_And I have finally updated this story once again after nearly two months! Please forgive the long delay and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Oh, and for those of you who are most likely surprised and confused right now, the answer is yes, you did read the name 'Danarius' right as well as the part where Regina called him 'Grandfather'. Unfortunately, you are all going to have to be patient. In the meantime, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Tevene Translations: _

_Avanna - Hello _

_Carissima - My dear (Latin) _

_Venhedis - A swear word _

_Next up: Chapter 21:In Waking Dreams _


	25. Chapter 21:In Waking Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"A dream you once were,  
A dream of all my realities,  
A dream I can no long strive for  
In the wake of my manly betrayals"  
— C. Elizabeth (Absolute Obsession (The Absolute Series, #1))

**Chapter 21:In Waking Dreams**

* * *

The first thing Jade felt upon awakening was a warm hand gently stroking her hair and the feeling of someone else's lap acting as a pillow beneath the back of her head. She shifted slightly, and rolled onto her side to be more comfortable, murmuring groggily as she did so. The sound of a deep sigh reached her ears, amusement undeniably ringing in it's tone, followed by a soft chuckle that sounded strangely familiar, like she had heard it before.

Part of Jade felt curious about the voice, but another part of her felt far too tired to even care about anything else besides relaxing and getting some much-needed rest. Why she hadn't been doing this before, however, she did not know, and again she did not care either. Her ears caught the sound of a door opening, then soft footsteps as someone else entered the _aravel_. The door closed audibly and the footsteps stopped when the new arrival came to a halt in front of Jade and the person whose lap served as a pillow underneath her head.

"How long has she been asleep?" A feminine voice asked in a whisper, it's owner kneeling down and stroking Jade's hair lovingly.

"Almost an hour." A deep male voice answered, the male's fingers entwining with the female's."She has earned a good rest today, especially after finally becoming a true elf among her clan."

"Yes." The female agreed."The design of _Dirthamen_ suits her well. She knows she will always be loved and never abandoned by her kin. Fear and Deceit will never overcome her. She will endure and grow stronger with each and every passing day."

"Just like her mother." There was an obvious smile in the male's voice as he spoke.

The female laughed as she returned his smile."And her father."

Jade's eyes snapped open all of a sudden, narrowing suspiciously when she heard what the voices said. The male voice sounded so familiar to her, but for some reason, it also felt so...wrong at the same time as well. She did not recall ever hearing the female voice before, yet it brought her the exact same feelings of both familiarity and skepticism rolled into one. Something was wrong, so very wrong, and the fact that she was unable to understand what the problem was only caused her anxiety to grow even more. It was not a feeling she enjoyed experiencing.

All previous sleepiness she once felt vanished as the huntress threw the blanket off her body and practically leapt into sitting position, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe properly. Her heart started beating rapidly, and her mind screamed loudly that she was not safe. She had to understand what was going on and whp the voices that sounded so, almost frighteningly familiar belonged to.

"_Hamin, emm'asha_." The deep male voice said soothingly. Jade was torn between fear and relief when she heard the voice. It was confusing as to how one simple voice could bring her so much comfort but also...confusion and fear as well."_Madar'eth_."

A warm hand came to rest on her shoulder, startling her as she immediately twisted around and her light blue eyes widened at what, or rather who, she saw.

"_P-Papae_?!" To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. The man sitting beside her had those same dark blue eyes and short raven hair that she recognized with ease. His brow had the design of June on it. There was something terribly wrong, but her father's soothing words and touch brought her so much comfort and reassurance that she could feel herself losing the will to care once again.

"What's the matter, _da'vhenan_?" The female voice from before asked. Jade turned her head slightly and gaped at the female elf whose hand was now running through her hair in such a motherly and peaceful way. Light blue eyes that were a match to her own stared back at Jade. The woman was beautiful beyond words with short, titian-colored hair tied up in a chignon and creamy white skin that would most likely make _Andruil, Sylaise_, and _Ghilan'nain_ distraught with envy. Speaking of _Ghilan'nain_, it was in fact the mother of the halla's _vallaslin_ design that graced the beautiful woman's face.

"_Banal_." Jade heard herself say in response before she could even think of what to say. It had come out automatically and once again, she found herself no longer caring about the warning bells going off in her head. She knew something was not right, but simply lost the will to even care in the slightest about it anymore."_Emma ir souveri. Ma souver'inan isala hamin_."

Her father frowned, tilting his head to the side."Are you sure nothing is wrong, _emm'asha_?" He inquired, offering her a glass of water that she quickly accepted and drank down."You seemed a little..frightened just now."

"It's probably just the pain from her _vallaslin, ma vhenan_." Her mother said as she ran her fingers through Jade's long dark tresses and started tying them up into braids. Jade closed her eyes and leaned back to rest her head on her mother's shoulder. The older woman pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead and shifted slightly so Jade's head could instead lay comfortably in her lap.

Her father, Magnus, briefly pressed his lips together as if in slight doubt for a moment, but then nodded firmly in agreement."Yes. I suppose you are right, Lara." He looked down at his daughter with a kind smile."Just try not to touch it too much for the next few days, _da'len_." He advised her."The pain should be gone by then."

Jade nodded silently, a small smile teasing her lips as she felt her mother's fingers braiding her hair. It was so nice to feel the gentle and loving touch a mother and a father who loved her so dearly, and any doubts or feelings of dread she might have had just moments earlier were already long gone. She was at peace and that was all that mattered to her.

"Tricksters!" A loud and irate feminine voice suddenly screamed."How dare you so cruelly attempt to deceive one of my children?!"

The voice was so loud and full of pure hatred and rage that Jade nearly bolted into sitting position but was stopped by her mother quickly grasping her by the shoulders and gently but firmly forcing her to lie back down. Two angry hisses came from her parents as she opened her eyes and gasped when she saw the new arrival.

Standing just a few feet in front of them by the entrance of the _aravel_ was a beautiful, copper-skinned _Elvhen_ woman. Her ears were slightly longer than those of most elves and she stood tall with a great amount of pride practically radiating off her. The woman's hair was as red as blood, bangs covering her forehead and long red tresses tied into several tight, intricate braids that stopped at her waist. Her eyes were an unusual shade of violet and glinted with pure anger and disdain as she glared darkly at Jade's parents. The most noticeable thing about the woman, however, was the fact that she wore armor like Jade had never seen before, and held a bow tightly in one hand while the other hand seemed to be just itching to reach for one of the arrows in her quiver and aim it at her intended targets.

"Trespasser!" The woman who claimed to be Jade's mother hissed at her."You have no place here! The girl is ours now and is perfectly happy here with us."

"That is because she does not yet know that you two are not who you claim to be, demon." The fiery red-haired woman said with a scowl. Her eyes turned kind when they landed on Jade and a bright smile broke out on her face."Tell me, _da'len_, do you know who I am? Or better yet, where you are?"

"Do not listen to her, _emm'asha_." Jade's father growled dangerously, all previous signs of calmness and love vanishing from his handsome visage for only a quick second before reappearing as he turned back to his daughter."_Madar'arla. Madar'eth in na mamae la ar. Vir'dar na vhen'lin la na vhen_."

Jade wanted more than anything to believe him, but the prior feelings of dread and anxiety were now beggining to return to her. Not only that, but she found herself blurting out the name of the beautiful yet fierce _Elvhen_ woman without realizing it until the word had escaped her lips.

"_Andruil_." She whispered, eyes widening in realization."You are _Andruil_. Goddess of hunt as well as sacrifice in some legends and the one who taught my people _Vir Tanadahl_, way of three trees." She glanced at her mother and father, fighting hard not to burst into tears as the painful truth hit her like a stack of bricks."None of this is real. I'm in the Beyond, aren't I?"

The fiery woman's lips twisted into a satisfied smirk as she tossed a triumphant look to Jade's so-called 'parents'."_Ma halam_, demons. No true daughter of mine would ever fall for your tricks." She stated proudly.

Both dole and ire filled Jade's entire body as she shut her eyes tightly and started slowly moving away from these changelings that dared to take the forms of her beloved parents who she had never had the chance to know before. She clenched her fists almost painfully at her sides, holding back tears and wincing slightly in pain as the force of her nails drew blood from the skin of her palms.

"_Emma shem'nan_!" She screamed in both sorrow and rage, reaching behind her to grab her bow and nocking two arrows at once. Both of the arrows impaled the eyes of the demon pretending to be her mother, causing the demon who claimed to be her father to let out a dangerous growl as he stood up and transformed into his true form. Jade felt her lips twist into a snarl as she glared with nothing but pure hatred at the demon.

"_Ar tu na'din_." She hissed at him. The demon smirked widely in response and brought up a hand, eyes glowing with power as a ball of fire started forming in it's palm. Jade dodged the attack and rolled across the floor before swiftly leaping to her feet and releasing three arrows at once. The first arrow landed in the demon's leg, the second in it's chest, and the third in it's throat. Jade's light blue eyes remained locked on the demon as it slowly crumbled to the floor and was dead before it even hit the ground.

Jade slowly stood up, but almost immediately dropped her bow and felt her knees give way beneath her as she fell to the floor and started sobbing uncontrollably. Her body shook with dole and tears poured down her face as she wrapped her arms around herself to try and force away the grief and anger that tore her heart apart. She knew that by crying like a forlorn _da'len_, that she was showing herself as a weakling but this fantasy created by the demons had felt so real and it hurt that even though she knew it was all just a trick, a large part of her desperately wanted it all to be real.

"_Suledin_." She reminded herself harshly."_Ar nadas suledin_."

"There is nothing wrong with crying, _da'len_." _Andruil's_ once sharp and fierce voice had turned back into one of kidness and patience as she spoke consolingly to the distraught elven girl. "We all must cry and grieve at some point. You should have done so long ago."

Jade's head snapped up as she cursed herself mentally for almost forgetting about the presence of the goddess. She ignored the fact that her face was stained with tears and bowed her head deeply toward _Andruil_."_Andaran atish'an, Andruil, uthenerasha'thraen_." Her voice was shaky at best, and she did all she could to avoid making eye contact with the goddess, feeling unworthy of being graced by her presence.

_Andruil_ rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly."Rise, _da'len_." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand."Having you on your knees before me is pointless and inane. I am no different from you and the other _elvhen_, except for the fact that I am not a mortal like you."

"_Ma nuvenin, uthenerasha'thraen_." Jade said tentatively, rising slowly to her feet but still avoiding meeting the goddess' half-sympathetic, half-intrigued gaze. That was when she suddenly remembered the dreams she'd had of her true father and immediately looked back up at the goddess."If I may ask, why have I been chosen to be graced with your presence? I am unworthy of such an honor."

_Andruil_ smiled at her."Though your brow is graced by the mark of _Dirthamen_, you are still a huntress and a follower of _Vir Tanadahl_, making you my daughter as well as his."

Jade bit her lip and nodded."Of course, but you have not answered my question yet."

_Andruil's_ smile widened."You are so much like your father was when we first spoke to him." Her smile fell as she sighed sadly."Alas, we do not have the time for explanations in this moment, but know that this will not be the last time you receive a visit like this one."

"Jade!" Two familiar voices cried, causing the elf to twist around and see both Natasha and Regina running toward her. She started to turn back to _Andruil_, but the goddess was already gone.

"Jade," Regina breathed as she and Natasha came to a stop in front of the huntress,"This is-"

"I know." Jade said softly with a sad nod as she held up a hand to interrupt the elven mage. She sighed deeply when the two mages both exchanged surprised glances before staring at her in slight perplexity and opened her mouth to explain when a strange white fog suddenly surrounded her and she gave a loud gasp of surprise.

"What the-" Her words were immediately cut off as she vanished, though not before she heard Natasha letting out a disgruntled curse and Regina groaning loudly in vexation.

* * *

Tamlen let out a sigh of content as he put his hands behind his head and lay down on the ground, looking up at the sky and smiling as he observed all the different shapes of the clouds above. The cool shade provided by the trees and gentle gusts of wind prevented the sunlight from shining in his eyes and kept him comfortable. He was not alone, however, for a very familiar dark-haired female elf lay to the opposite side of him with a serene smile on her face as she stretched out her arms and sprawled them along with her legs on the ground.

Sitting up, Jade twisted around to face Tamlen and crawled over to him so she could snuggle up to him and rest her head on his chest. Tamlen shifted slightly and wrapped one of his arms around her waist. Jade sighed contentedly, murmuring a few words in Elvish that he couldn't hear but still smiled in response as he lowered his head to press a kiss to her forehead. His fingers ran through her raven hair, twisting her long, soft dark tresses around his fingers idly and pushing one lock of hair behind her ear.

Jade raised her head to look up at him, moving both of her legs to straddle him as her hands traveling slowly up his chest and toward his face so she could take his face into her hands and admiringly trace the _vallaslin_ design of _Mythal_ that graced his handsome face with her fingers. She leaned down, teasingly brushing her lips past his with an impish grin crossing her lips. He felt one hand move back down toward his chest before rubbing small circles against his chest-plate. The female elf's back arched as she twisted and stretched her body alluringly.

Something did not feel right. Tamlen had seen Jade stretch and twist her body before but never in such a provocative manner. He knew she was no stranger to desire or attraction for another person and while both the _Elvhenan_ and the _elvhen_ did not frown upon mere intimacy like the _shemlen_ so foolishly did, the way in which she was acting right now perturbed him slightly. When he brought his hands up in a gentle attempt to push her away without hurting her, she let out a savage growl, shocking him beyond words. He had heard her growl under her breath before while muttering or yelling out an elven curse or two when she was vexed or pain, but this kind of feral sound was downright frightening and completely unlike the Jade that he knew.

"What is wrong, _vhenan'ara_?" She asked, her voice low and seductive as her hands grasped his shoulders and massaged them firmly. As much as the feeling of her hands on his shoulders physically pleased and relaxed him, his mind screamed at him that was something was terribly wrong and he did not dare ignore it, shutting his eyes tightly as he fought to try and resist her seductivr administrations.

"Do you not enjoy my administrations?" The question was asked in a soft yet very uncharacteristically enticing whisper that sent chills down his spine.

As if sensing his internal struggle, she leaned down, her lips twisting into an alluring smirk as she moved her hands up to cup his face and tilt his head slightly to the side. He let out a hiss of surprise when she suddenly bit his ear softly with her teeth.

That did it. Curling his hand into a fist, Tamlen sent a silent prayer to the Creators for help as punched Jade square in the face. Rather than letting out a curse or shout of pain like he was so used to her doing, the female elf instead snarled lividly as she fell back and hit the ground like a rock. Cocking her head to the side slightly, she raised an amused eyebrow before shaking her head and letting out a chilling laugh.

"Very well, mortal." Her voice changed from sweet, calm, and pleasant, to dark, loud, and disturbing as she stood up and waved her hands in front of her with an evil smirk crossing her lips."If pleasure is not what you wish from your beloved, then worry not, for I have other ways of making you give in to my advances."

A strange purple and yellow aura surrounded the frightening being as her form changed from that of his fellow elf's to a horrific demon. He gaped at her, unable to comprehend what in the name of the Creators was happening as the demon started sauntering over to him, hands seductively running down her own attractive sides as he crawled away from her in terror until his back hit a nearby tree and he reached behind him to grap his sword, bow, dagger, or any other possible weapon on him, but to his dismay, he found himself completely unarmed and vulnerable to the demon that was only getting closer and closer to him with each and every passing second.

Just as the demon reached for him, however, she was suddenly struck in the face by a fireball, knocking her across the ground.

"Disgusting creature!" A soft and sweet yet clearly outraged feminine voice seethed in repugance."My child will not fall for your tricks, for he has already seen you for what you truly are and nothing you do will convince him otherwise."

Turning toward the source of the voice, Tamlen's eyes widened in awe as he nearly fainted from shock. Standing before him was a beautiful _Elvhen_ woman, her long orange tresses resembling flames which were pulled up into a chignon whilst some of her other tresses stuck out on top of her head and also looked much like tiny, little flames that decorated her lovely hair and only added to her beauty. Despite the fiery appearance of her hair, the woman's eyes were in fact a peaceful and calm light blue color that reflected a slightly fierce yet eternally soothing and loving nature. Her skin was light yellow, small balls of fire sparkling within her palms while her long green and black dress was composed of several plant roots and ropes tied together tightly into elegant patterns of leaves and flowers.

"By the Creators!" Tamlen breathed in disbelief as he shook his head vigorously to make sure this wasn't another demon trying to trick or seduce him."Y-You are _Sylaise_!" The goddess' name flew him his lips before he even realized what he'd just said.

_Sylaise_ turned to him with a kind smile, chuckling lightly and tilting her head."_Aneth ara, da'len_. I am aware of the fact that we have never met before, but I obviously know who you are just as you know who I am as well."

The sound of painful groaning reminded them both that the demon was still alive and starting to sluggishly get back up. With a sigh, _Sylaise_ simply waved her at the demon and before Tamlen could blink, the odious creature was letting out a bloodcurdling scream of agony as it burned to death within a matter of seconds.

_Sylaise_ shook her head, sighing deeply as she brought up a hand to massage her forehead and force away the headache she was getting."_Ir abelas_ that you were forced to see that, _da'len_. I do not enjoy ending the life of another being, but the demon was a threat to you as well as myself. Now that it has been taken care of, perhaps we may speak in peace."

"I-I don't understand." Tamlen eventually managed to say, confusion filling his tone and expression as he slowly got to his feet."My _vallaslin_ represents _Mythal_ and I follow _Andruil's_ _Vir Tanadahl_, the way of three trees, not your _Vir Atish'an_, way of the peaceful place. Why would you of all the gods come to my rescue, sweet _Sylaise_?"

_Sylaise_ frowned, reaching out to gently tilt his chin up with her fingers. The goddess' delicate fingertips traced the _vallaslin_ on his face as she remained silent for a very long moment whilst studying him thoughtfully as if she was trying to see right through him and his thoughts. After another minute or two of silence, she gave a small smile and released him. When she finally spoke again, her voice betrayed no signs of anger or sadness, but instead genuine joy and kindness.

"Do you love her, _da'len_?" Tamlen taken aback by the question, frowning quizzically at the goddess.

"I don't understand, my goddess. Do I love whom?" _Sylaise_ smiled widely in obvious amusement at his confusion though her smile also seemed to betray some hint of sadness within it as well.

"If only _Mythal_ were here." She sighed wistfully."Love was always her specialty more than it ever was mine, after all." His puzzlement only grew at her words, but her smile widened nonetheless."You know already whom I speak of, _da'len_. You may have told her that the moment you two shared in the cave meant nothing, but we both know that is not true. It meant something to her just as it did to you. Do not deny it. I only ask that you tell me why you claimed otherwise to her when she inquired about it to you."

Tamlen sighed deeply, shoulders slumping. He knew there was no point in arguing with _Sylaise_. In the end he would only be lying to himself, after all."I lied to her because... because..." He stammered helplessly before sighing again and shutting his eyes for a moment."...because I was afraid to tell her the truth. When she...when Jade told me that she came with me to that cave simply because she wanted to be with me...I just felt so happy and...relieved. I didn't even think twice before I did it, but when I kissed her, for just one minute, however long or short it must have been, it felt like the entire world didn't exist anymore and all that mattered was being there with her. After Duncan recruited us and with everything else that was going on, it just became so easy to forget that anything had ever happened between, so I...so I did. I forgot about that kiss we'd shared back in the cave for almost a week until that night after Duncan recruited Valerie and Ser Gilmore when she came to me into my tent and asked me what that kiss meant and I...I just didn't know what else to tell her." He sighed again, feeling utterly ashamed of himself."My heart screamed for me to tell her the truth, to say that I had loved her for so many years and was just realizing it now, but my head started shouting at me that it could never work out between us, that this was not the time or place to start something between us, so I just...I just...I just lied to her like the stupid fool I was and did my best to avoid her as much as possible."

_Sylaise_ continued to smile kindly at him."There is nothing wrong with being afraid, _da'len_." She chided softly though there was no anger in her voice; only sympathy and just a small hint of disappointment."But lying to her and to yourself will only bring both of you more pain and sorrow. Therefore, you must tell her the truth. I have watched the way in which you two act with one another and in spite of whatever words your mouth says, your heart as well as hers say the exact opposite. Do not be afraid to confess what you feel for her, for if you truly love her and she you then you should both be able to stand together and make things work. And if not, then you may at least reconcile your friendship with her instead. Either way, what you are doing now cannot continue lest you both never forgive yourselves and realize your mistake when it is already too late."

Tamlen opened his mouth to reply to that but closed it again when two familiar voices suddenly yelled out his name and made him jump slightly in surprise. Twisting around, he recognized two female mages, Natasha and Regina, running toward him. He started to turn back to _Sylaise_, but she was already gone.

"Tamlen," Natasha started to say, but the elven man shook his head to interrupt her.

"I know." He said simply, lowering his eyes.

Regina snorted, raising an eyebrow at Natasha."Why am I only half-surprised?" She asked dryly, her voice laced with just a hint of sarcasm.

Tamlen looked at the two of them questioningly, but before he could inquire as to what the elven mage was talking about, a strange white fog suddenly surrounded him, causing him to let out a surprised and perplexed curse in Elvish as he vanished less than a second later.

* * *

Zoë closed her eyes and sighed serenely as she pulled her knees to her chest and leaned back against the _Vhenadahl_. Despite how repulsive the odor of the Alienage was to her sense of smell, sitting next to the _Vhenanadal_, even for just a few minutes, always gave her a small feeling of peace whenever she was felt dejected or angry about something that bothered her.

"There you are!" A familiar voice breathed in relief."I was so worried!"

Opening her eyes, Zoë smiled when she saw a handsome male elf standing in front of her with an endearingly disapproving frown on his face.

"Nelaros!" She exclaimed happily, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck as she kissed him on the cheek."I'm sorry for worrying you. I didn't even realize how long I'd been out here."

Nelaros sighed."You're lucky I love you so much. Otherwise, I would be very angry with you." He grumbled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Lifting his head, he glanced up at the sky with a frown before looking back down at her."We should start making our way home now if we want to avoid being outside sunset. Your father will have my head on a stick if we're late for dinner."

Zoë rolled her eyes."Actually," She said dryly,", he'll have **my** head on a stick and don't even think of trying to take the blame for me because he definitely won't believe you in the slightest." She sighed, nodding."But you're right. It's best we get back home before sunset if we want to avoid my father's wrath **and** the _shemlen_ guards catching us outside after curfew."

Pulling away from him, Zoë entwined her fingers with his and sighed contentedly as she leaned her head against his shoulder while they walked together in silence. For some reason, she felt as if something was wrong, but why she would ever feel this way was beyond the elf. So she simply shrugged it off and continued walking alongside her beloved husband.

"Are you alright?" The sudden sound of Nelaros's concerned voice caused her head to snap up as she jumped slightly and looked into his worried eyes.

She gave him a reassuring smile and nod."Don't worry about me, Nelaros." She said softly."I'm alright, just a little tired, that's all."

He nodded silently, giving her hand a small, comforting squeeze. His tone of voice and his touch were both loving and soothing, but she could've sworn she'd seen a very brief glint of suspicion in his eyes, even if it was for just a moment. She squeezed his hand back nonetheless, assuring herself that absolutely nothing was wrong and it was just her mind being more cautious than usual.

But still those strange feelings of skepticism and anxiety refused to go away, the alarm bells in her head screaming at her not to trust anyone or anything. She was perplexed, and did not know what to do, say, or thing. Ignoring it seemed like the best option, but even so her mind shouted repeatedly that something was wrong, and she needed to understand what that something was.

The elven girl groaned as she brought up a hand to message her forehead with her fingers in an attempt to force away the annoying headache she was starting to get from all of this confusion and anxiety that caused nervous knots to form in her stomach and her heartbeat to increase rapidly for some unknown reason. Her head felt as if it were about to explode, and she groaned again in agony as well as annoyance from the feeling.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Nelaros inquired, eyebrow raised as he gazed down at her with suspicion and irritation seemingly rolled into one."You seem to be in pain."

"Not as much pain as you're going to be in, trickster!"

It was at that exact moment that a dagger suddenly impaled Nelaros's shoulder, causing him to let out a scream of rage and agony as he fell to the shoulder and pulled the dagger from his shoulder, turning to glare darkly at the culprit. Zoë's jaw literally dropped when she saw who the new arrival was.

Standing only a few feet in front of them was a very tall and impressively handsome _Elvhen_ man. The man's ears were far longer than any that Zoë had ever seen before, and his long, dark brown hair was so messy that it fell over his equally dark brown eyes and almost completely concealed his eyes and ears from view. One could easily tell just by looking at his face that this man was usually in a very jocular mood most of the time, though this was obviously not one of those times. It was his attire, however, that Zoë paid the most attention to, for he wore extremely dark violet armor with several intricate patterns on it that Zoë had never seen before, and a pair of black boots on his feet that looked perfectly brand new as if he'd made them himself.

"Judging by the fact that you're staring at me in utter astonishment, _da'len_, I'm going to assume that you know who I am." The mysteriously attractive _Elvhen_ man said dryly with a small tilt of his head.

"Villain!" Nelaros shouted angrily at the man."You have no place here!"

The strange man rolled his eyes and groaned in exasperation."It's times like this when I **really** wish _Elgar'nan_ was here so he could simply rip your head off instead of sending me to listen to your vexingly hollow threats, demon."

"You're _June_!" Zoë blurted out, blinking in disbelieving awe as she remembered what Jade had taught her and Regina about the Creators. Wait. Jade? Regina? Why did those names sound so familiar to her? Glancing at the irate Nelaros then back at _June _who_, _as if reading her mind, nodded encouragingly at her, Zoë suddenly felt the truth hit her like a stack of bricks, drawing a loud gasp from her lips.

She was a Grey Warden, having been recruited by Duncan to prevent her from being arrested and executed for killing Vaughan Kendells after he had raped Shianni. But that wasn't all. She remembered Nola dying in her arms after the captain of the guardsmen had stabbed her, Soris coming to her rescue with weapons that he claimed had been given to him and Nelaros by Duncan.

And then she remembered watching Nelaros die.

"No." Zoë whispered, eyes wide as she fell to her knees and put her face in her hands, unable to stop the tears from coming this time.

More memories returned to her, including how she'd survived the Joining only to be left to die in the Tower of Ishal back at Ostager, and then waking up hours later within Flemeth and Morrigan's hut with Jade. She also remembered how they'd went to the Circle of Magi to get aid from the mages against the blight and how they promised Greagior they would make sure the Tower was safe again and save the First Enchanter; all of which had led up to them all being forcefully put to sleep by a Sloth demon and now trapped in the Fade with a demon pretending to be Nelaros in order to trick and seduce her into staying.

"This isn't real." Her voice was slightly muffled by her hands, but both _June_ and the demon pretending to be Nelaros heard her clearly. _June_ only nodded, his expression twisted in sympathy and sadness while the demon snarled furiously and jumped up to it's feet, no longer bothering to hide it's true form.

"You will pay for this, trespasser!" He hissed at _June, _only for the god to throw another dagger at him which landed in his chest this time. _June_ then charged at him and curling his hand into a tight fist, punched the demon square in the face, stunning him long enough for the craftsman to raise his leg and slam the heel of his boot against the demon's face so hard that it broke the demon's neck and killed it instantly with a loud crack that made Zoë wince slightly.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Zoë stared down at the ground, ignoring the tears now running down her cheeks. _June_ slowly turned to her, sighing deeply as a look of genuine pity crossed his face. He spoke then, his tone soft and comforting.

"_Tel'numin, da'mi. Na abelas tu ar numin_."

Although Zoë didn't speak fluent Elvish, Jade's lessons had taught her enough to at least understand what _June_ was saying to her. Lifting her head, she looked into his eyes and nodded gratefully for his words of consolation.

"_Ma serannas_." She whispered.

Just when it looked as if _June_ was about to respond, two familar voices suddenly shouted Zoë's name and made her to twist around to see Natasha and Regina running toward her. She started to turn back to _June_, but he was already gone by the time the two mages came to a stop in front of her and helped her back up to her feet.

"I already know what's going on." The former city elf said before either mage could begin explaining anything to her.

While Natasha merely stared at her in silent incredulity, Regina pouted in annoyance and raised an incredulous eyebrow."Is this some kind of elf thing that I wasn't aware of?" She asked in an irritated tone of voice.

Zoë gave the elven mage a quizzical look, but before she could say another word, a strange white fog suddenly surrounded her and within a second, she vanished.

* * *

_OMG, it has been SO long since I last updated and once again I am terribly sorry! My life has been extremely busy lately as I've already said like a million times already and because of that my updates are very slow but I promise everyone that I'm definitely not abandoning this story since I do not want to to be like one of those writers who starts writing something and then just gives up on it without a single word of warning or reason. I just need some time to get my schedule in order and then my updates should be back to normal again and since spring break is coming up very soon for me, I should be able to update at least one of my stories in a little while. Until then, please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Aravel - Wagon or tent used by the Dalish; humans call them "landships" _

_Vallaslin - (Literally: Blood writing) The art of tattooing adopted by the Dalish to display their worship of the traditional elven pantheon. It also signifies each elf's coming into the status of adulthood among their clan._

_Da'len - Little child; __to describe someone young, innocent, or dear._

_Hamin, emm'asha - Relax, my girl_

_Madar'eth - You are safe _

_Papae - Father _

_June - God of crafts_

_Da'vhenan - Little heart _

_Emm'asha - My girl _

_Elvhen - (Literally: Our people) __Elven name for their own race._

_Mythal - (Literally: The great protector) Chief elven goddess; Wife of Elgar'nan; Goddess of love, protection, and motherhood._

_Dirthamen - (Literally: Keeper Of Secrets) Twin brother of Falon'Din. Master of the two ravens Fear and Deceit._

_Andruil - Goddess of hunt_

_Sylaise - (Literally: The hearthkeeper) Goddess who gave the elves fire, taught them how to weave rope and thread, and to use herbs and magic for healing purposes. Sister of Andruil._

_Ghilan'nain - Mother of the halla _

_June - God of crafts _

_Banal - Nothing _

_Emma ir souveri. __Ma __souver'inan isala hamin - I'm very tired. My weary eyes need resting _

_Ma vhenan - My heart _

_Madar'arla. Madar'eth in na mamae la ar. Vir'dar na vhen la na vhen'lin - You are home. You are safe with your mother and I. We are your clan and your family. _

_Vir Tanadahl - Way of three trees _

_Vir Atish'an - Way of the peaceful place_

_Ma halam - You are finished _

_Emma shem'nan - My revenge is swift_

_Ar tu na'din - I will kill you _

_Suledin. Ar nadas suledin - Endure. I must endure_

_Andaran atish'an, Andruil, u__thenerasha__'thraen - Greetings Andruil, goddess of hunt_

_Ma nuvenin,__ uthenerasha'thraen - As you wish, goddess of hunt_

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male)_

_Lethallan - Friend/Kinswoman (Female)_

_Vhenan'ara - Heart's desire _

_Elvhenan (Literally: Place of our people/Our hearts) Original name for the elven civilization._

_Tel'numin, da'mi. Na abelas tu ar numin - Don't cry, little blade. Your sorrow makes me want to cry_

_Ma serannas - My thanks/Thank you_

_Next up: Chapter 22:Your Worst Nightmares_


	26. Chapter 22:Your Worst Nightmares

****Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.****

* * *

"I'm your favorite nightmare and your worst dream all in one. I'm everything you shouldn't want. And you're everything I need."  
— Kenya Wright (Cupid: A Dark Erotic Romance)

**Chapter 22:Your Worst Nightmares**

* * *

Long white tresses slipped free from their braids as calloused fingers wove their way through the hair. Soft lips caressed the sensitive skin on the back of their lover's neck, drawing pleased moans and gasps from the white-haired woman as she felt lips and fingers descend a path down from her neck to her collarbone. The woman sighed contentedly as she leaned back and gladly allowed her lover to continue his pleasing ministrations.

Something felt wrong about doing this, but she could not bring herself to care and simply settled for ignoring any feelings of doubt she might have and just enjoying this intimate moment with her lover. It so rare for them to have a chance to be alone due to all of those assignation missions always coming up almost every single day which they were chosen for because of their skills when it came to stealth and well...assassinating of course. But right now there were no serious missions that needee their immediate attention and so they were enjoying their free time together while it lasted, though she secretly hoped that it would last forever despite how impossible such a hope was.

"Do not worry, _mi pequeño pájaro dulce_." He whispered against her neck as if he had heard her thoughts."We literally have all the time in the world and no one will ever bother us again."

Confused by his choice of words, Simone frowned and sat up. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him."What do you mean 'ever again'?" She asked."In case you've forgotten, we're still members of the Antivan Crows and thus have to follow their orders."

He smiled pleasantly, completely unperturbed by her confusion or annoyance."I highly doubt that the Crows can give orders to their own king and queen. Therefore, they are the ones who must obey our orders, and not the other way around."

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, her tone conveying her vexation with his strange behavior. Something was not right here, and she was no longer content to simply ignore this feeling like she had been just minutes earlier. Whoever this man was that sat in front of her could not possibly be the man she'd fallen so hard for. The Edgar who she knew was **never** this relaxed, but instead stern and always on alert. It was those particular qualities that had made her so attracted to him in the first place.

"You aren't him." She blurted out, standing up and backing away as memories of the truth rapidly started returning to her. That idiot Zevran had volunteered for a mission to kill the Grey Wardens which he knew would most likely end in his death and she, out of foolish concern for the man she called a friend as well as a similar desire to die, had chosen to join him so he would not die alone. But that wasn't the main reason why; the last few years had been cruel and tiring for her and Zevran, what with Rinna's death and...Edgar dying at her hands long before she'd even met Zevran.

The white-haired woman stepped back in horror as a malicious smirk slowly spread across the face of the man pretending to be her lost lover and partner."And here I thought I could actually convince you to just relax and enjoy your second chance with **him**." He said with a sigh."Such a pity I failed to do so."

"I'll kill you for this deception, _bastardo mentiroso_!" She hissed angrily, curling her hand into a fist and aiming a punch for his face. The demon merely stepped aside and caught her wrist, twisting it painfully and causing her to give a yelp of both surprise and pain as he threw her roughly to the floor then sent her rolling into the wall with a powerful kick to the stomach that also winded her.

"I admire your courage, _mi pequeño pájaro dulce_." He smirked at her scowling face."But in case you've forgotten, **I'm** the one in charge here and whether you like it or not, whatever I say goes." With a mere wave of his hand, the demon's true form replaced that of her lover's as he started approaching her while continuing to smirk.

Simone reached for her daggers, but to her dismay she found that she was completely unarmed and defenseless against her foe. Waving his hand again, the demon summoned large roots to rise from the ground which tightly seized her wrists and ankles. The white-haired assassin let out a curse in Antivan as she fell to the ground, unable to move as he demon slowly and menacingly made its way toward her.

Before he could reach her, however, he was struck in the face with an arcane bolt, knocking him across the floor. Simone looked up and grinned in relief when she saw Natasha and Regina running toward her. The two mages came to a stop in front of her with Natasha as the first one to speak."Let me guess," She said dryly,", you already know that none of this is real, don't you?"

Simone nodded, her eyes flickering briefly toward the demon who had pretended to be Edgar."Luckily for me, this demon was not a very good liar."

"Lucky you then." Regina joked."And you should disappear from here in exactly..."

Simone let out a gasp as she was suddenly surrounded by a strange white fog and vanished just seconds later.

"...5 seconds." The elven mage finished with a smirk as Natasha simply rolled her eyes in annoyance and muttered for them to keep moving, though not before quickly summoning a lightning spell to finish off Simone's demon.

* * *

Zevran ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the dark, cold, and seemingly unending forest while the sounds of laughter and the footsteps of his pursuer echoed less than several feet away. He quickened his pace, desperate to get away, but no matter how fast he ran, his pursuer was always not too far behind him.

The elven assassin glanced over his shoulder to see if he'd managed to outrun his persuer, an action that he immediately regretted because before he could even catch sight of anyone or anything behind him, he literally ran into a tree and let out a curse in Antivan as he hit the ground like a rock and a foot suddenly slammed into his chest, pinning him down.

"Going somewhere, _mi amor_?" A sweet, feminine voice asked. Zevran's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Rinna." He whispered.

An evil smirk spread across her face when she heard him say her name."Hello Zevran." She said sweetly, tilting her head and gazing at him with dark brown eyes that glinted with sadistic amusement. Her long auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her elven ears easy for anyone to recognize."I'm so glad to see you remember me, especially after what you did." Her smile then turned into a scowl as she suddenly kicked him in the stomach, evoking a loud groan of pain from him.

"Betrayal hurts, doesn't it, _mi amor_?" She spat, her eyes now cold and angry."Now you know how I felt when you spat in my face and let me die for a crime I didn't commit. Simone was the only one who believed me, and you didn't even listen to her. Tell me Zevran, how do you think it feels when the one who you've always loved and trusted suddenly betrays you and laughs in your face while you lie helpless and dying on the cold ground in a pool of your own blood? I **begged** you to believe me, but instead you called me a traitor and did **nothing** but stand there like the worthless bastard you truly are and watch while Taliesin killed me and Simone cried and cursed both of you for your stupidity and heartlessness. Why is it that **she** was able to believe that I was not a traitor and yet **you, **the man who I loved with all my heart, couldn't do the same?! Tell me?!" She screamed, kicking him again, this time so hard that he coughed up blood.

"I **hate **you!" She growled."You worthless, uncaring, treacherous piece of trash! I should make you suffer for what you did to me. Maybe I'll cut **your** throat this time then laugh and spit in **your** face while **you** slowly bleed out and die of a broken heart, assuming you actually **have** a heart of course!"

"Rinna," He croaked, clutching his stomach and groaning in agony,", I am...so sorry."

She laughed, the sound cold and mirthless."Sorry?! You're sorry?! Well guess what, Zev, it's too late for you to be sorry! All I ever did was love you and you didn't so much as think to just trust me when I told you that I was genuinely loyal to the Crows and would never betray them, betray **you**! Give me one good reason why I should even consider forgiving someone as worthless and pathetic as you! Your mother was a whore and you are no better! You are worse than all the whores and bastards in Antiva put together! If anyone ever betrayed the Crows, it was **you**, not me!"

"The truth is quite painful indeed, _da'len_." Another feminine voice said, although this one was deeper and sounded older than Rinna's. It also sounded wiser, but just as angry and bitter as the female assassin's did."And you are now suffering because of it, just as you deserve to."

The owner of the new voice appeared right next to Rinna just a minute later, and her physical resemblance to Zevran made her identity quite clear to the elven man even though he had never truly known her. Her eyes were green, but other than that there was no other difference in appearance between her and Zevran; her skin color matched his exactly and her hair was also the exact same color as his and only a few inches longer. There were _vallaslin_ tattoos on her face, marking her as Dalish, but her clothes consisted of a short white dress that barely went past her knees and was badly torn up rather than the typical Dalish armor and other proper attire one of her people usually wore. She also had several cuts and bruises on her face, making it clear how just many times she'd been struck and attacked in her line of work as a former proud Dalish huntress-turned-whore.

"Remember me, _da'len_?" She asked caustically, lips twisting into a mirthless smile as she tilted her head at him."Your very first victim, as you would say. I brought you into this world and how did you repay me? By killing me like the _len'alas lath'din_ you have always been ever since I conceived you in my womb." She placed a hand on her stomach as she spoke, still smiling mirthlessly at him even as bloodcurdling screams echoed all around them followed by the cries of a child.

Zevran shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears in a vain attempt to block out the horrible sounds of Rinna's sadistic laughter while she kicked him repeatedly and his mother's screams of agony in the background. The male elf rarely ever prayed, but at this moment he was inwardly shouting pleas of help that even he could hardly understand to both the Maker and Andraste, and even the Creators, desperate for **anyone **or** anything** at this point to just come and put him out of his misery right now.

As if someone had finally heard his prayers, the sounds of laughter and screaming stopped, replaced by shouts of surprise and anger as Rinna was no longer kicking him and he could not feel her foot on top of his chest anymore either. He let out a sigh of relief, hesitantly opening his eyes to see both Rinna and his mother now in the forms of hideous demons and frozen solid. Not even a minute later, both of them were shattered into pieces by a lightning spell.

"And I thought **your** dream was frightening, Regina." Natasha commented as she stepped out of the shadows and twirled around her staff, grimacing at the sight of what her elven friend had done to the two demons before she could even react herself.

Regina ignored the comment, instead hurrying over to a slightly shaken and shocked Zevran and helping him to his feet. She may have despised the man for his irritatingly flirtatious remarks and constant nicknames for her, but the demons had obviously injured him both physically and mentally in their attempt to deceive and torture him.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, muttering a healing spell to get rid of the bruises on his arms and neck.

Quickly recovering, Zevran grinned at her."You need not worry about me, my little warden, it was merely a dream, yes?" He gulped in spite of himself and added quietly,"Albeit a very real one."

Regina rolled her eyes and sighed in both relief and partial annoyance."He'll be fine." She said over her shoulder to Natasha, who merely snorted in amusement.

Still grinning, Zevran opened his mouth to say another kind of really annoying flirtatious remark when a strange white fog suddenly surrounded him and, much to Regina's relief, he vanished.

* * *

"S-Stay back!" Cullen stammered fearfully as he slowly backed into a wall and held his sword tightly but shakily in both hands to defend himself from whoever or whatever was watching his every move and listening to his every thought.

"Why are you so afraid of me, Cullen?" A chilling, sultry voice purred as Cullen heard the sounds of footsteps coming very close to him. The voice sounded so familiar yet so different at the same time. It frightened him to even think about what trick the demons would try to torture him with. No matter how hard he tried not let his guard down, the demons always knew what was on his mind and were well aware of his vain efforts to avoid them.

"No!" He yelled, shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head vigorously."I'll have no more of your tricks, now begone!"

"Oh no, my handsome little Templar." The chilling voice responded with a laugh that echoed all around him while the footsteps were slowly getting closer and closer to him with each and every passing second."I am not going anywhere, and neither are you."

It was then that the owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows with a smirk on her face and Cullen's eyes immediately widened in shock and horror at the sight before him. Standing only a few feet in front of him was none other than a demon in the form of Natasha Amell. She looked both beautiful and horrible in a small red dress that barely covered her thighs and her long chestnut hair pulled up into a loose ponytail. Her lovely grey eyes were glinting with mischief and desire as she sauntered over to him, easily disarming him and sending his sword rolling across the floor with a wave of her hand.

Cullen trembled with fear as the demon pretending to be Natasha slowly came to a stop right in front of him, her smirk wide and seductive. She took his face in her hands and brushed her lips past his, smiling when she heard him whimper in both fear and unwanted pleasure.

"Relax, love." She spoke softly."You and I both know you've always wanted this and now you finally have it. Or should I say **her**?" She titled her head and gave him a quizzical grin.

Cullen shut his eyes tightly, fighting to resist the demon's tempting offer of letting him be with the woman he so desperately wanted ever since the day he first met her. But he knew this was not really her, only a clever trick playing on his most deepest desires in order to make him stay, and it seemed to be working very well in his opinion. The demon smirked when she saw conflicted look on his face, knowing that all he needed was one more little push and he was hers.

"Get the bloody hell away from him, you demon!" A familiar voice suddenly yelled, followed by lightning electrocuting the demon from behind and a fireball striking her in the back. Cullen had to take a step away from the demon as it screamed in agony and literally burned to ashes, torn between relief and disgust as he watched the foul creature die.

"Cullen!" Natasha, the **real** Natasha, cried as she ran to his side and knelt beside him with Regina following closely behind her."Cullen, are you alright?" She asked softly. For Natasha to speak to anyone with such concern and compassion in her voice was rare. The only people she'd ever used this amount of gentleness with were Rosie, Anders, Jowan, and Regina. To hear her speak to him like that made him feel...strange to say the least.

Before he could respond, however, a strange white fog suddenly surrounded him and, with a gasp of surprise, he vanished. Natasha let out a curse as she stood up and nodded to Regina.

"Let's find Wynne and get the hell out of here so we can deal with Uldred. I've had more than enough of this place to last me a lifetime."

* * *

"Maker forgive me." Wynne whispered dolefully, falling to her knees and holding her head in her hands as grief and shame tore at her heart."I failed them all. They died and I did not stop it."

"Wynne." A familiar voice murmured. The elderly mage looked to see Natasha and Regina approaching her. The human girl knelt down and took Wynne's hands in her own while Regina placed a hand on her shoulder."You can't believe any of this. It's not real."

Wynne gaped at them, shaking her head. Were they really that blind? How could they not see that this was all her fault? She tore her hands away from Natasha and stood up, gesturing toward one of the corpses in front of her."How on earth can I disbelieve what I see, hear, smell, and feel? Can you not see the death that is all around us?"

"You're in the Fade, Wynne." Regina said, gently grasping her arm."What you see in front of you is just a trick."

Wynne did not seem to hear the elf's words. She was too caught up in her own dole and remorse."Why was I spared, if not to help them?" She asked herself in confusion and anger while clenching her fists at her side and shaking her head vehemently."What use is my life, now that I have failed in the task that was given me?" She pulled her arm out of Regina's grasp and glared at both the elven mage and Natasha."Leave me to my grief, you two. I shall bury their bones, scatter their ashes to the four winds, and mourn their passing until until I am dead as well."

"Wynne!" Natasha snapped, forcing the older woman to look her in the eye and grabbing her by the shoulders a little too tightly."Listen to me. I know how you feel right now. Both of us do. It feels so real, but it's just a trick. You taught Regina and I half of what we know about demons and magic and if we can fight this feeling, then so can you!"

"Both of your blatant disregards for the souls of the dead strikes me as utterly inappropriate and despicable!" Wynne spat."What is it you are trying to tell me? And why must you make this ordeal more painful than it already is? Where were you two when this happened? I trusted you both as friends and allies and yet neither of you were anywhere to be found!"

"Focus on us, Wynne." Regina said."Natasha and I are the only things that are real right now other than you. You need to listen. **Please**."

Wynne sighed."Very well. I do not know what this will accomplish, but I will do this if it truly satisfies you two to see me suffer like this." She closed her eyes and immediately looked confused and afraid."I do not understand. It feels as though something is trying to keep me from concentrating properly. Perhaps you two are right. I should...leave this place and see if that helps me feel better."

"Don't leave us, Wynne!" One of the dead mages cried, leaping to his feet and reaching out for the old woman."We don't want to be alone! Please don't go!"

"Holy Maker!" Wynne gasped and backed away, horror written across her features."Stay away from me, foul creature! Do not come any closer!"

"Stay, Wynne!" The demon pleaded."Sleep soundly in the comforting embrace of the earth. Do not fight it. You belong here, with us!"

"No!" Wynne shook her head."My time is not yet done. There is still much left for me to do!"

Both Natasha and Regina stepped aside to let Wynne deal with this herself. The demons were still pleading for the elderly mage to stay with them, but her desire to leave and get away from them only grew stronger with each and every minute. When the demons were all finally dead, Wynne looked exhausted and traumatized, but also relieved and more determined than ever to stop Uldred and save the Circle before it was too late. Once she vanished just like the others did, Regina turned to Natasha and nodded. Natasha nodded back at her, knowing what they had to do next.

The two mages grasped each other's hands and shut their eyes tightly as a strange white fog surrounded them before they too vanished.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames! _

_Antivan Translations:_

_Mi pequeño pájaro dulce (Spanish) - My sweet little bird_

_Bastardo mentiroso (Spanish) - Lying bastard _

_Mi amor (Spanish) - My love_

_Elven Translations: _

_Da'len - Little child_

_Len'alas lath'din - Dirty child no one loves_

_Next up: Chapter 23:Saving the Circle _


	27. Chapter 23:Saving The Circle

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dragon Age or anything related to it.**

* * *

"I know that homes burn and that you should think what to save before they start to. Not because, in the heat of it, everything looks as valuable as everything else. But, because nothing looks worth the bother, not even your life."  
— Amy Hempel (The Collected Stories)

**Chapter 23:Saving The Circle**

* * *

Sleep eluded Valerie Cousland for several weeks now. The blonde rogue had done as Jade asked her to and taken the others back to the inn. Two days had passed since Jade left with her group. To say that Valerie was extremely worried and restless would be an understatement. She hadn't gotten a goodnight's sleep since...the night before Howe betrayed her family and then when Loghain quit the field at Ostagar.

Poor Cailain. Duncan's loss was hard, but she could not find the ability to grieve for him. It was true he'd saved her life and she was grateful for that, but at what cost? Her dream of becoming a Grey Warden fulfilled, only to lose her family and friends since childhood in less than a day? She pitied Duncan, but did not mourn his loss as much as she did the loss of her home and king. No, not her king. Her **friend**. She and Fergus had grown up alongside Cailan and Anora as much as they did beside Nathaniel, Delilah and Thomas Howe. To watch her friend die like that, right in front of her, was heartbreaking.

Her friendship with Anora did not officially begin until she met the queen and king at a royal ball, but the friendship she shared with Cailan dated back to when they were children. She lied to Jade at least partially about how she really knew Cailan. He treated her like the sibling he wished he could have had. She knew how jealous he was of her having Fergus as an older brother while he could never have any true relationship with his own younger half-brother. The best thing to do for Alistair was keep an eye on him when Duncan couldn't. He spoke so highly of his little brother and desperately wished for just one chance to talk to him properly, a chance he never got.

When Cailan told her about his brief encounter with Alistair in Redcliffe before he ran into the armory after yelling "Ooh! Swords!", she was torn between frowning and laughing at him. Cailan had expressed nothing but excitement over the chance to meet Alistair, but when his wish finally came true, nervousness and his own love of swords took over and before he could stop himself, he ran off to the armory, not truly realizing what he'd done until it was too late and Alistair was left thinking that his own half-brother wanted nothing to do with him. If only he knew the truth...

Alistair still had yet to tell everyone the truth about the circumstances of his birth as a royal bastard. Valerie did not blame him. He would tell them when he was ready. She may have resented the man for pushing the weight of leaderships on hers and Jade's shoulders, but she was not without sympathy for what he had lost as both a child and adult. Eamon would no doubt try to make poor Alistair king now due to Maric's blood flowing through his veins, and Valerie would not hesitate to help him keep Eamon off his back.

After the horrible treatment Eamon and his Orlesian whore of a wife Isolde, had put him through, the two should consider themselves lucky that Maric and Fiona were not here to execute them for their abuse of an innocent child. Queen Rowan would have been equally disgusted by her brother and sister-in-law's behavior. It did not matter if Alistair made her seem like a concubine for Maric, he was still a child and no child deserved to be treated the way Alistair had been by Eamon and Isolde.

Sitting on the divan settee in her room at the inn with her faithful hound Leonard resting his head on her lap, a tray of food on the table next to her, a cup of tea in one hand, and a letter in the other, Valerie couldn't help but think back on those memories. Things had been so much easier back then. She wished she could go back to those times and stop all of these bad things from happening. Alas, such a miracle was not possible. She found herself wondering not for the first time in the last several weeks if miracles were possible at all.

She was no Andrastian. Whatever respect or love she might have had for Andraste or the Maker was long gone by now. She was never the religious type, yet she always believed in the existence of the Maker and Andraste despite not praying to them very often. After what happened to her family, however, she refused to pray to them ever again. She only prayed to them in desperate and lonely times. Now she felt only disdain, hurt, and anger toward the Chantry and their pathetic divine figures. Where was the Maker when her sister-in-law and nephew were brutally murdered and left to rot? Where was the Maker when Lady Landra, Darren, Iona, Brother Aldous, Mother Mallol, and her parents were all killed as well? Where was the damn Maker and his whore of a bride when Loghain chose to abandon Cailan at Ostagar? Did he even exist? And if he did exist, did he even care for the children he created then left to die without a second thought?

Valerie shook her head and sighed deeply. Leonard seemed to feel his mistress's distress and looked up at her with worried eyes, whimpering. She smiled down at him. It was during these difficult times that her hound served as her one source of joy and comfort. Life without him by her side would be miserable. Her smile vanished as she sipped at her tea and looked back at the letter from Bann Shayne Gilmore, Ser Gilmore's father, that was secretly delivered from him by a messenger boy just an hour ago this morning. The others still had yet to wake up, so she was left alone with her pet hound to read the letter until Ser Gilmore found out and asked her about it. She dreaded that moment greatly, especially because of the contents of the letter...

_To my dearest son and his fellow wardens,_

_What happened at Ostagar was tragic, but I can feel it in my bones as a father that my son is still alive and I pray he is well. What Loghain did was questionable, I admit that much, but I fear I cannot turn on him lest he have me face the same fate as poor Cailan. I know that you will not be pleased with my decision Rory, but you must understand that I have no choice in these harsh times. You have my prayers and love. Anything more, however, I cannot give you. Please accept my most humble apologies and sympathies to Valerie Cousland if she is with you. Do not try to contact me, my son, or that rat Howe will find out and inform Loghain, who will not hesitate to have me executed for what he believes to be treason. _

_Fom Bann Shayne Gilmore_

How the man had tracked them down was beyond her. All that mattered was his decision to avoid helping them in their fight against Loghain and the blight. She understood his reasons, but felt angry and disappointed nonetheless. Doubtless that Ser Gilmore would share the feeling as well. His reaction would most likely depend on what kind of a mood he was in and how she chose to tell him.

With a sigh, she folded the letter and placed it on the table. She then picked up the food tray, put it next to her, refilled her teacup, and decided to start eating her breakfast in silence. Reaching for her bowl of porridge and spoon, she lightly pushed Leonard head off her lap so she could move the tray onto her lap. The dog only whined slightly before moving his head from his owner's lap and fell asleep. She smiled warmly as she watched him then went back to eating. A contended sigh escaped her lips as she tasted the warm porridge as well as the freshly-baked piece of bread. If there was one thing she liked about staying at inns, it was the food.

She would tell Ser Gilmore about the letter from his father later. For now, she was content to sit in her room with a peacefully slumbering Leonard by her side and simply enjoy her meal.

* * *

She was going to kill him.

Murder and revenge were the only things in Natasha Amell's mind as she and her allies saw Uldred torturing an innocent mage before asking the traumatized young man if he accepted the gift Uldred offered him. Her heart broke as she witnessed Uldred release the mage from his grasp and turn him into an abomination. She clenched her fists. Uldred would pay with his life for what he had done. She would make sure of that.

"Is that Uldred?" Jade asked in a whisper from beside her. Natasha nodded curtly in response, unable to speak and say the treacherous monster's name out loud without feeling inclined to vomit.

Uldred twisted around at the sound of her party approaching, a sadistic smile crossing his lips as he nodded at her."Ah, look what we have here. Irving's two star pupils and Greagior's little pet." Regina and Cullen both glared at him with fury equal to the kind Natasha felt."Uldred didn't think of you three as much of a threat then, and **I** certainly don't see your appeal now."

"Yes well, do forgive **us** that **we** are not very impressed by **you**, mage." Jade replied icily, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

Uldred rolled his eyes and groaned."I suppose one can't be loved universally." He said dryly. The sadistic smile returned as he examined the group of wardens and their allies as if he was sizing up a group of cows for a slaughter."I'm quite impressed that all of you are still alive. Unfortunately, that means you killed my servants before you got here." He shrugged his shoulders, clearly not at all saddened by this fact."Ah well, I suppose they are better off dying in the service of their betters than living with the terrible responsibility of independence."

"Is someone upset we killed their lackeys?" Natasha's voice was dripping with sarcasm, venom, and contempt as she whispered the words in a very sweet tone of voice.

"We needn't fixate on who killed them." Uldred said, shaking his head."That doesn't help our relationship."

"Relationship?!" She whispered incredulously then screamed at him."What the hell do you think you're trying to accomplish by torturing these people?!" She demanded.

Uldred smiled."A mage is but the larval form of something greater. Your Chantry vilifies us and calls us abominations, when we have truly reached our full potential!"

"You're insane!" Regina hissed.

"Look at them. The Chantry has them convinced. These fools deny themselves the pleasure of becoming something glorious."

"Regina is right to call you mad!" Wynne snapped."There is nothing glorious about what you've become, Uldred!"

"Uldred?" He laughed and shook his head in amusement."He is gone, dear Wynne. I am Uldred, and yet I am not. I am far more than he ever was and what he ever could have been. I could give you this gift, Wynne. You and all mages. It would be so much easier if you just accepted it, you know. But some people," He gestured toward Natasha and Regina,", can be so stubborn."

"I'm glad so many of them stood up to you." Natasha said coldly.

"And what good did that do?" He snorted."I still won!" He seemed to remember something important then, because he grinned and glanced over his shoulder at the captive mages behind him."Wait a second...now what do we have here? Why it's the First Enchanter himself! Come and say hello to your two old apprentices, Irving. Please don't mind the blood. He's had a hard day."

Irving lay on the floor, covered in blood and bruises but still alive. His hands were bound and he was panting heavily. Anyone could see he had been tortured severely by the abomination once known as Uldred. Seeing her old mentor in such a horrific state only fueled Natasha's rage and made her more determined to kill the abomination in front of her than ever before.

Wynne gasped in horror."What have you done to him?!"

"S-Stop him!" Irving yelled then coughed up blood and struggled to catch his breath. He could barely breathe, let alone speak."He is building an army to...destroy the Templars and..." He trailed off into another violent coughing fit, spitting out more blood as he did so.

"You're such a sly little fox, aren't you Irving?" Uldred drawled with amused disappointment and irritation filling his tone."Telling on me like that. And here I thought he was finally starting to turn."

"N-Never!" Irving spat.

Uldred waved him off."That's quite enough out of you, old man. He will serve me soon enough and so will his two little students..." He smiled evilly at Regina and Natasha.

"I'd rather die!" Regina screamed. Natasha nodded her head firmly in agreement.

"Killing you two would be such a waste." He said with a shake of his head."Your raw potential, with the strength of a demon behind it, would be completely unstoppable. I can do that-I can give you both power, and a new life."

"That's not going to happen." Jade stated with an ominously calm look on her face. The huntress had already taken out her bow and was starting to nock two arrows in Uldred's direction."I've no intentions of letting you do anything to my friends."

"Your opinion does not manner, elf." Uldred waved a hand at her."I'm the one in charge here and what I've decided will be done whether anyone else here likes it or not."

"Shut up and fight, abomination!" Natasha snarled just as Jade released her two arrows that were aimed at Uldred and the battle began.

* * *

"Irving?!" The surprise and relief in Greagior's voice was unmistakeable when he saw Natasha and Regin helping the First Enchanter walk out the door."Maker's breathe, I did not expect to you alive!"

"It is over, Greagior." Irving stated."Uldred is dead and the Circle is safe once more."

"Uldred tortured him and several other mages." Cullen explained."He was hoping to break their wills and make them become abominations. Luckily, we managed to stop him in time."

Natasha smiled at Cullen, though she looked away upon seeing the blush forming on his face when he saw her smiling at him. Irving carefully pulled his arms away from where he had wrapped them around Natasha and Regina's shoulders for support and managed to stand up straight on his own."Now we must rebuild. The Circle will go on, and we will learn from this tragedy, and be strengthened by it."

"You're welcome by the way, Knight-Commander." Jade said to Greagior before Natasha could. She gave the chestnut-haired mage a small smile that was gratefully returned.

Greagior sighed deeply, but nodded."Thank you. You have all proven yourselves friends of the Circle as well as the Templars."

"You and the rest of your idiotic Templars can go to hell and rot for all I care!" Natasha scowled. Greagior glared at her in annoyance and she glared back without hesitation.

Irving, Cullen, Wynne, and Regina exchanged a knowing look and sighed in unison, shaking their heads."Here we go again..." Regina muttered under her breath.

"This kind of thing happens often, doesn't it?" Simone asked.

Wynne chuckled, nodding."You truly have no idea, my dear."

"We still require aid, Ser." Cullen said.

Greagior turned his attention away from Natasha to look at Cullen before nodding his head."I promised you aid, but with the Circle restored, my duty to watch over the mages just as I did before this all happened."

"A duty you failed miserably at too." Natasha added wryly.

"That is enough, you two." Irving stifled a sigh as he got between them and smiled kindly at Natasha."Do not worry, child, you came for the aid of the mages and so you shall have it. When the time comes that you need our help, do not hesitate to inform us and we will not hesitate to come to your aid either."

"I cannot believe I am saying this," Greagior sighed,", but it is good to have you back, Irving."

Irving smirked."I'm sure we'll back at each other's throats again in no time, Greagior."

Natasha bowed her head."Thank you for everything, First Enchanter."

"No, child." He replied, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling warmly over at Regina, who returned the gesture."It is we who should be thanking you and your companions. It is good to see you, Regina, and Cullen are all well. I wish you luck on your travels."

Wynne cleared her throat loudly, stepping forward."Irving, if you do not mind, I would like to accompany the wardens on their journey. Just in case they need any...extra help." She winked slyly at Natasha.

"Wynne, are you certain?" Irving asked, obviously reluctant to let her leave after what had happened today. She nodded firmly, and he sighed deeply before agreeing."Very well. If the wardens will have you, then you have my permission to leave the tower with them."

"Jade?" Natasha asked, looking at elf with a raised eyebrow.

Jade chuckled."The more, the merrier." She inclined her head politely at the elderly mage."We would be glad to have you with us, _hahren_." She clenched her fists upon hearing Tamlen scoffing harshly behind. He was lucky Wynne had not heard him and also that they were not alone, or else Jade would have certainly punched him by now. She made a mental note to actually do so in private after they were done with this place. For Wynne's sake, however, she forced herself to smile and not glare at Tamlen from the corner of her eye although Creators knew how badly she wanted to.

The huntress took a small step back and elbowed Tamlen in the stomach to silence him. He grunted, though it was more out of surprise than pain. She ignored the irritated look he shot her, trying to be as discreet as possible in order to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention by beating him up in public. She would save that for later.

"I'll deal with you later!" She hissed at him over her shoulder through gritted teeth so only he could hear her."But for now, keep your mouth shut or I **will** slice that stupid tongue of yours in half to keep you quiet if need be, _lethallin_!"

Needless to say, that shut him up for the rest of the day.

* * *

_Please remember to review, leave constructive criticism, but no flames!_

_Elven Translations:_

_Hahren - Elder_

_Lethallin - Friend/Kinsman (Male) _

_Next up: Chapter 24:Reconciliation _


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